- By Namrata Vijay
- Sun, 16 Nov 2025 07:59 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
IND vs SA 1st Test: Rishabh Pant, who is India's Test vice-captain, has revealed that they won't think too much about losing the first Test to South Africa and that it was a gettable target, but owing to immense pressure, the hosts lost the series opener in Kolkata. On a tricky surface, which assisted bowlers like Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, and Kuldeep Yadav, it was off-spinner Simon Harmer who took a match-winning eight-wicket haul.
This was the host's 4th Test loss at their backyard since the last Test matches, which also includes the 3-0 loss to New Zealand on turning pitches last year. This loss has once again started the debate of Indian batters not being able to perform on turning pitches.
“After a game like this, you cannot dwell on it too much. We should have been able to chase it. The pressure kept on building. We did not capitalise enough. There was help from the wicket (for the bowlers)," Pant told broadcasters in the post-match presentation.
“A score of 120 can be tricky on these surfaces. But having said that, we should have been able to soak in the pressure and capitalise. We have not thought about the improvements, but we will come back strong for sure," he said.
Pant was also India's stand-in skipper as Shubman Gill was hospitalised owing to a neck injury.
He admitted that the partnership of 44 runs between the Protea captain, Temba Bavuma, and Corbin Bosch for the eighth wicket turned in their favour.
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“Temba and Bosch had a good stand in the morning. That partnership between them hurt us," he added.
All-rounders Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja did help the team bounce back for a while by playing gritty knocks, but Harmer took a wicket again by dismissing Jadeja with LBW.
Aiden Markram then took Washington's wicket with his part-time off-break.