The loss to South Africa in the second Test in Centurion resulted in a series defeat for Team India. Virat Kohli and his men started a journey with the burden of expectations of overturning past results in the rainbow nation. But only to the passing of the whole nation, the Men in Blue succumbed to predominant history and former Indian skipper Bishan Singh Bedi is pretty upset about the same.

Interestingly ahead of the SA tour, Team India was in sublime form. Coming on the back of a dominant home season, the Indian contingent looked lethal to take revenge for the past losses. The latest series that they played before traveling to South Africa was against Sri Lanka.

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However, that was the return fixture as earlier in the year, India traveled to the Island. Thus the second leg of fixtures raised a lot of eyebrows, especially with the South Africa tour lined up next. This debated topic has yet again resurfaced after India’s loss at Centurion, as to justify the demand of the series against the Islanders.

The latest cricketer to ask this question is none other than Bishan Singh Bedi. As quoted in NDTV, Bedi said, “There was no preparation. We wasted our time with the Sri Lankans. There was no sense in playing a weak team for one-and-a half-months when we should be preparing for South Africa.”

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Mr. Bishan further added, “It was supposed to be a tough tour and it required intense preparation. You beat Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka and you then call them to India, for what? The Indian cricketers would have been better off playing domestic cricket or preparing themselves exclusively for the tour.”

It was a disappointing series defeat in the end. Especially, when India had one of the best teams on paper and was in an incredible form. Maybe it was the pressure to perform, maybe it was the conditions, but the Men in Blue yet again succumbed to the pace and bounce of the rainbow nation.