'Ghutne Tek Diye': Sachin Tendulkar, Irfan Pathan's Scathing Words Out After India's Embarrassing Loss In 1st Test Vs South Africa

Losing the match by a huge margin, the Indian team appeared lost and jaded in the Test match vs South Africa as they are getting brutally criticised by the fans and experts.

Team India lost 1st Test vs SA. (Images: AP)

Team India produced one of the worst performances in Test cricket as they lose the first Test against South Africa by a huge margin of an innings and 32 runs. When the series began, it was not known that it won't be too easy to play against this strong South African outfit in their backyard but nobody knew that such a poor show will be put up by the visitors with both bat and ball.

Former India pacer Irfan Pathan did not mince his words when he said that the team did not show any fight. He wrote in hindi on his X account: "Puri tarah se ghutne teke hai team ne. Expected better."

India's batting great Sachin Tendulkar was very critical of the batters, saying the shot selection left to be much to be desired. Tendulkar praised the South African pace attack for putting up a brilliant show, especially in the 2nd innings. "While I initially felt the South African team would’ve been unhappy after the 1st innings, their pace attack surpassed expectations and showcased remarkable skill in the 2nd innings, in spite of the pitch becoming more favourable for batting as the match progressed."

Tendulkar then added a criticism on India's batting, saying, "From whatever I watched, India's shot selection left much to be desired."

Tendulkar also praised the batters who batted with a lot of easy on a difficult track like Centurion. "Throughout the Test, only a few batters, namely Elgar, Jansen, Bedingham, @imVkohli and @klrahul truly seemed at ease with the bat, navigating the conditions with technique and poise," said Tendulkar.

Puri tarah se ghutne teke hai team ne. Expected better. #INDvsSA — Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) December 28, 2023

Well played South Africa!

While I initially felt the South African team would've been unhappy after the 1st innings, their pace attack surpassed expectations and showcased remarkable skill in the 2nd innings, in spite of the pitch becoming more favourable for batting as the_ — Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) December 28, 2023

India captain Rohit Sharma did not stop himself from being harsh on his team, saying that there was not much to take away from the Test. He said that India did not exploit the conditions and did not put up a show with the bat except KL Rahul. "If we have to win Test matches, we have to come together collectively and we didn't do that. Guys have come here before, we know what to expect and everyone has their own plan. Our batters were challenged and we didn't adapt well. This is a boundary scoring ground, we saw them score many but we need to understand the opposition and their strengths as well. We didn't bat well in both innnings, that's why we stand here."

Rohit added that the only positive that they can take away from this Test was the way KL Rahul batted. The wicketkeeper slammed a fine hundred in the 1st innings, taking the team out of trouble. But that was not enough to get the side over the line.