Australia women’s captain and keeper-batter Alyssa Healy was left baffled at the Indian team’s strategy of preparing spin-friendly pitches at home after losing to South Africa in the first Test of the two-match series. This match was played at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata, and saw India being folded for 93 in the chase of 123 runs.

The Indian team, which had not lost a Test series at home since 2012, was whitewashed by New Zealand last year by 0-3 and has now lost to South Africa, who last won a Test in India in 2010. They have lost four out of the last six tests at home, and all of the matches were played on pitches that helped spinners.

Reacting to their 30-run defeat to South Africa, Alyssa Healy stated that she was baffled at India’s game plan. She said that facing spin has become a task internationally, regardless of where batters are raised, and that India is just making matters worse for itself.

According to her, India lost to New Zealand under similar circumstances last year. She believes that flatter pitches will help India prevent similar collapses.

“I just don’t know what they’re doing to themselves. Batting against spin is not an easy thing around the world at the moment, even if you grow up on those wickets. They keep giving themselves turning wickets, thinking it’s going to help them, and it hasn’t. New Zealand beat them at home doing that. So, build yourself some flat wickets and let them go,” Healy said on the Willow Talk Cricket podcast.

Gautam Gambhir, India's head coach, defended the Kolkata wicket, saying there were no demons in the wicket and blame Indian batters for not showing more technique and application on a difficult wicket.

However, Healy believes the players do not relish such situations. She also believes India's spinners are more effective on wickets with modest assistance, letting them attack the stumps rather than relying on significant turn. 

“I think their spinners are actually more effective on wickets that don’t do as much, and their batters enjoy that as well. If that’s what they asked for, I don’t understand it because it actually brings the opposition back into the attack. When you think about Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar, and Axar Patel, they were effective attacking the stumps, and when the ball turns too much, it goes out of their wheelhouse a little bit.

They’re losing Test matches at home, which is a really bizarre thing for India to do. They’re going to have to look at it and think about better wickets,” she added.

South Africa will have a chance to create history by winning their first Test series in India since 2000 when they clash with India in the second Test in Guwahati from November 22.