Former South Africa captain AB de Villiers has sparked a fresh debate around India’s approach to home conditions, suggesting that head coach Gautam Gambhir may have been subtly questioning his own players after the first Test at Eden Gardens. According to de Villiers, Gambhir’s remark—that the curator delivered exactly the pitch India had requested—felt like an indirect message aimed at the dressing room rather than a straightforward defence of the surface.
As criticism poured in from fans and analysts regarding the rank turner used in Kolkata, Gautam Gambhir stood firm, praising the curator’s cooperation. However, AB de Villiers believes the underlying message was clear: if the team received the conditions they wanted, why couldn’t they capitalise? The match itself wrapped up in just three days, with South Africa pulling off a gritty 30-run win after defending a modest 124 on a pitch offering sharp turn from Day 1.
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Speaking on his YouTube channel, AB de Villiers said, “Before I could blink, the Test match was over. Interesting comments from Gambhir—maybe he’s having a go at the players, saying: ‘This is what we prepared, why didn’t we perform?’”
This defeat comes at a time when India is already under scrutiny in red-ball cricket, especially after last year’s 0-3 series loss to New Zealand. AB de Villiers stressed that India’s batters haven’t suddenly forgotten how to play spin. Instead, visiting teams have become smarter, better prepared, and more aware of how to tackle Indian surfaces. He highlighted that India’s home invincibility has slightly diminished, with the team losing four Tests at home in the last few years—an almost unheard-of trend in modern cricket.
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According to de Villiers, the growing problem isn’t India’s skill but the extremity of the pitches being served up. He believes that consistently demanding rank turners is backfiring, allowing opponents to train specifically for such conditions. Instead, he urged India to return to more balanced, four-day-friendly surfaces that offer a fair contest between bat and ball.
In his words, “Maybe India need to rethink the nature of these pitches. Stop asking for sharp turners and focus on proper Test wickets that last longer.”
