Former Indian cricket player Cheteshwar Pujara responded to Team India's head coach Gautam Gambhir's statement that the Indian hitters were unprepared to play on a spinning deck and that the Eden Gardens surface had no demons. After the hosts were unable to reach the 124-run goal in the fourth innings, South Africa secured a 30-run victory. With eight wickets over the course of the two innings, Simon Harmer was the visitors' best bowler. The Proteas won their first Test match against India since 2010 after outperforming the Asian Giants. The South African spinners defeated the Indian batsmen.
Gautam Gambhir revealed that the pitch wasn't very difficult after losing the opening Test in Kolkata. He continued by saying that Team India's desired track was made possible by the Eden Gardens curator.

"This is precisely the pitch we were searching for. The pitch is precisely this. Additionally, I thought the curator was really helpful. And this is precisely what we desired. And we received precisely this. This is what occurs when you don't play well," Gambhir remarked.
"The idea is that you ought to be able to play turn. And this is what we requested and received. On the field at Eden Gardens, Gambhir remarked, "I thought the curator was very supportive."
Many cricket commentators have criticized the Eden Gardens pitch, where the majority of hitters struggled against the spinners, after the first Test was finished in just three days.Gambhir could want such circumstances for the Indian team, but it was very difficult to bat on, Pujara said on JioStar.
"I don't agree with Gauti bhai that India's batting difficulties weren't caused by the pitch. Although Temba Bavuma was the only player to reach fifty on this surface, he believed the team desired similar circumstances. According to JioStar analyst Pujara, Indian batsmen appeared unprepared to play on such turning tracks.
Pujara went on to say that a hitter must choose alternative shots on turning tracks.

"To keep the scoreboard moving on turning courses, you need to choose diverse shots, make more sweeps, and have an optimistic attitude. The former Indian hitter continued, "Our batters must prepare in accordance with the demands of these spin-conditions instead of expecting usual batting-friendly surfaces because India prefers spin-friendly pitches."
Pujara went on to say that several wickets were lost as a result of batting errors. The former Indian cricket player praised Temba Bavuma, the skipper of South Africa, for demonstrating how to score runs on a difficult-to-bat pitch.
"The pitch wasn't easy, even though some dismissals were the result of batting errors. Temba Bavuma demonstrated that scoring is possible on this surface, but it requires a new style of play that relies on sweeps and positive intent rather than conventional defense.

The typical Test-match strategy of blocking, grinding, and building an innings slowly is not supported by this surface, according to Pujara.
According to Pujara, when the pitch is helping spinners, batsmen should use lofted and sweep strokes and take cautious risks.
"Batters must play aggressively, use sweeps and lofted shots, and take calculated risks in order to succeed here. The 37-year-old continued, "The truth is that traditional Test batting becomes nearly impossible on surfaces where you constantly need to innovate just to score. We may not prefer these kinds of pitches in the long run."
It's interesting to note that from 2016 to 2019, Indian batsmen averaged 53.3 at home against spinners.Indian batters' average dropped sharply to 33.8 from 2020, which raises questions about how they handle spin spinners.
The current ICC World Test Championship winners will play India in the second and final match in an attempt to win a historic Test series after losing the first.
Starting on November 22, the second Test match between South Africa and India will take place at Guwahati's Barsapara Cricket Stadium.