'India must handle pressure better': Rishabh Pant owns up after Kolkata debacle

Rishabh Pant found himself wrestling with a familiar sense of Test-match frustration after India’s fourth-innings collapse in Kolkata. Chasing just 124, India were dismissed for 93, gifting South Africa a 30-run victory and a 1-0 lead in the two-match series.

Speaking after the defeat, the stand-in captain admitted that the team knew they had squandered a golden chance. “In games like this, you can’t dwell on it too much. We should have chased this target, but the pressure kept building in the second innings, and we didn’t make the most of our opportunities,” Pant said at the presentation.

He highlighted the crucial morning session where Temba Bavuma and all-rounder Corbin Bosch transformed South Africa’s narrow overnight lead into a far more challenging one. Their partnership dragged the visitors from a precarious position to a total of 153, giving their bowlers enough on a deteriorating Eden Gardens pitch.

“Temba and Bosch stitched a brilliant stand in the morning and it hurt us later. That partnership changed the game,” Pant admitted. Until then, India appeared in control, having bowled South Africa out for 159 and taken a 30-run lead with their own score of 189.

Pant refused to blame the pitch, acknowledging that while the surface offered variable bounce and assistance for all bowlers, the Indian batting unit needed more composure with a modest yet mentally demanding target. “There was help on the wicket, and a score like 120 can be tricky here, but as a team we should be able to absorb the pressure and capitalise,” he said.

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India unravelled quickly, losing wickets in bunches as South Africa’s bowlers—both pace and spin—attacked relentlessly. Pant emphasised the need to reset rather than overthink the defeat. “We haven’t discussed much yet. We’ll come back stronger,” he assured, promising a tougher response in the second Test.

For India, that turnaround must happen swiftly. Another poor batting show could turn a disappointing start into a painful series loss.