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- By Gurmeet Batra
- Sun, 23 Nov 2025 01:07 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
India National Cricket Team vs South Africa National Cricket Team Match Scorecard: Former India captain Anil Kumble has delivered a stinging assessment of India's approach in the second Test against South Africa in Guwahati, targeting stand-in captain Rishabh Pant's field stations.
After the first session went wicketless, Kumble felt Pant's strategies were too defensive, comparing the field settings to those used in One-Day Internationals (ODIs) rather than Test cricket.
ALSO READ: IND vs SA 2nd Test Live Scorecard
Senuran Muthusamy showed his batting prowess while Kyle Verreynne was defiant in his approach as South Africa frustrated Indian bowling unit to reach 316 for six.
India's stand-in captain has come under fire with questions surrounding his leadership abilities in Shubman Gill's absence due to injury as South Africa batter continues to frustrate the Indian bowlers.
"On the leg side, an ODI field has been set. It is the first session of Day 1, and even then there is a deep square leg, long on and deep midwicket," Kumble said during commentary on Star Sports.
"I thought they could have been a little more aggressive at the start — a bit more attacking. We finally saw some of that in the last over before tea, when they brought in a short leg, a silly point, and packed the fielders around. I know the pitch isn’t responding to the spinners the way other surfaces have, but still, you have to make things happen and try different options," Kumble said.
Kumble criticised India's field placements with the absence of close-in fielders, which allowed Muthusamy and Verreynne to settle comfortably at the crease.
"Credit to the South African batters, though. Both Muthusamy and Kyle Verreynne have batted exceptionally well. They’ve used their feet nicely — and by that I don’t just mean stepping out; using the depth of the crease as well," he added.
Former India captain questioned India's ability to adjust to the Guwahati pitch, indicating they were habituated to playing on more spin-friendly surfaces.
"That’s partly because the Indian bowlers and this field strategy have allowed him to settle. On a pitch where nothing much is happening, you have to make things happen. You need to force the batter into a shot — that’s how you create wicket-taking chances. We saw that with Bavuma, with Wiaan Mulder, even with Stubbs early on when he was trying to hit the ball. You want batters playing shots, and that only happens when you bring the fielders up," he said.
"If you’re going to have long-off, long-on, and deep cover from the start, it becomes comfortable for the batter. India may simply be unused to situations where wickets aren’t falling regularly; they’re accustomed to pitches where spinners naturally dominate. On those surfaces, you don’t worry much about field placement — just keep men around the bat and wait. But on this wicket, they have to create pressure," Kumble added.