Indian pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar has stepped forward to defend both the Indian team and the pitch preparation at Eden Gardens, brushing aside the growing chatter around India’s 30-run defeat to South Africa in the opening Test. The loss, India’s first against the Proteas at home in 15 years, has triggered intense scrutiny over the team’s batting approach and the nature of the surface. Still, Bhuvneshwar believes the concern is being overstated.

Speaking at an event, Bhuvneshwar Kumar noted that spin-friendly tracks have always been part of India’s cricketing identity, and the reactions would have been different if the result had gone India’s way.

“This is not the first time a spin-friendly track has been prepared,” he told PTI. “Nobody questioned it earlier because India was winning. Winning and losing is part of the game. It’s not like the team has lost for the first time. I don’t think the defeat is a big worry.”

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India’s decision to field four spinners—Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav and Washington Sundar—has also been questioned, particularly with Sundar barely getting a chance to bowl.

However, Bhuvneshwar backed the call, asserting that the surface clearly demanded such a combination. “We had quality spinners available and the pitch was turning. Looking at how the match unfolded, playing four spinners was the right decision.”

While India now cannot win the series, they will aim to level it when the second Test begins on November 22 in Guwahati. But that task may become tougher with captain Shubman Gill’s availability still uncertain due to the neck spasm that kept him out of the second innings in Kolkata. His fitness concerns have also reignited the discussion around workload management for all-format players.

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Bhuvneshwar Kumar, however, was confident Gill would speak up if he felt he needed a break. “He has just become captain. If he wants rest, he will say it himself. He is part of the decision-making group and knows what his body needs.”

With the Guwahati Test approaching, India will hope to regroup quickly, address their technical lapses, and return stronger to avoid a rare home series defeat.