IND vs SA, 1st Test: What went wrong for India in Kolkata - pitch or selection?

The loss in first Test against South Africa was India's fourth home loss in six matches in last one year. In the period from October 2024 India have played three Tests against New Zealand, two against West Indies and one against the Proteas - losing all but against West Indies. The pattern is worrying as three of those four losses, against the Kiwis and SA, have come on spinning tracks - something which is considered the strength of Indian and other subcontinent players. While India coach Gautam Gambhir said the onus was with the players, the selection calls made by the team management are a bit perplexing.

Was playing six bowling options a smart decision?

After the loss, Gambhir said that they had asked for the pitch which they got - turning from day 1. The logic behind asking such a pitch was taking toss out of the context. India, however, lost the toss in each of their four Test losses at home since October 2024, which meant they batted fourth on a turning and unevenly bouncing pitch.

Also Read - IND vs SA, 1st Test: Former pacer Venkatesh Prasad calls out 'over-tactical thinking' for loss

The question which arises now is - if India knew the pitch would turn from day 1, and they selected four spinners in playing XI - Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, and Axar Patel - could they have gone with one pacer instead of both Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj.

Also, if they wanted six bowling options, could they have included Nitish Kumar Reddy over Siraj to give them a few overs of medium-pace along with Bumrah alongside a good batting option?

What India's playing XI in Kolkata meant?

Playing three spin all-rounders along with two pacers meant India had to sacrifice a specialist batter - in this case Sai Sudharsan, who had scored 87 & 39 in his last Test outing - against West Indies in Delhi. The lack of a specialist batter, along with loss of Shubman Gill to injury mid-match, didn't help India's cause. They may have won the game if Gill could bat, but that still doesn't explain why they needed four spinners along with two outright pacers on a pitch which they knew would turn from day 1.