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NEW DELHI: India once again slipped on home soil on a rank turner in Kolkata as South Africa handed them a tough loss. The surface was meant to favour India but it exposed a deeper concern. The team that once dominated visiting sides on spin friendly pitches is now struggling to handle the same challenge.

South Africa produced a dream performance to seal victory by 30 runs and take a one nil lead in the series. The visitors showed better control on a difficult surface and outplayed on Day 3. India folded under pressure and could not stitch a fight when it mattered.

A fading command on home soil

For more than a decade India were unbeatable at home under Virat Kohli. Their command on turning tracks was the foundation of their success and opponents rarely stood a chance. That aura has faded and India now look vulnerable in their own conditions which is a sharp contrast to the dominance they enjoyed for years.

The last time India lost a home Test series in the previous decade was in 2012 against England. It took twelve years for any team to break through and New Zealand did it in 2024 with a three nil whitewash. Now South Africa have stepped in with a clinical win and India face real questions about their struggle against quality spin at home.

A worrying trend for India

- India have now lost four of their last six home Tests — three to New Zealand in 2024 and now one to South Africa.

-Their only wins in this stretch came against West Indies earlier this year.

-The Eden Gardens surface invited heavy criticism after none of the four innings crossed 200.

Ganguly steps in on the pitch controversy

The defeat also reopened the debate around the surface at Eden Gardens which came under sharp criticism for excessive turn and uneven bounce. Many questioned whether the pitch preparation had gone wrong but CAB president and former India captain Sourav Ganguly dismissed those concerns and said the track behaved exactly as expected.

Ganguly explained that the pitch was prepared according to the request of the Indian team management and the conditions were a direct result of how the surface was handled in the lead up to the Test.

“The pitch is what the Indian camp wanted. This is what happens when you don’t water the pitch for four days. Curator Sujan Mukherjee can’t be blamed,” Ganguly told News18 Bangla.