'You saw Yashasvi Jaiswal start in the second innings, did you see the first three balls, the kind of shots that he attempted?'
Sunil Gavaskar came down hard on India's batters stating that they didn't show the resolve to stick around on a tough pitch. He also asked the Indian batters to learn from South Africa Captain Temba Bavuma, whose patient half-century in the second innings was instrumental in his team's superb come from behind victory in the Kolkata Test.
The batting great also backed India Coach Gautam Gambhir, who mounted a strong defence of the tough Eden Gardens pitch, saying it was precisely the kind of track they wanted to play on.
Chasing 124 for victory, India were bowled out for 93 to lose by 30 runs on Day 3 of the first Test on Sunday.
'It was not an unplayable wicket. This (pitch) is exactly what we asked for and this is what we got, the curator (Sujan Mukherjee) was very supportive. I think it's a wicket that can judge your mental toughness, as ones who played with good defence scored runs,' Gambhir said at the post-match press conference.
Gambhir then cited Temba Bavuma (55 not out) and Washington Sundar (31 off 92 balls) to validate his argument.
'This is exactly the pitch we were looking for. There were no demons or not unplayable. Axar (Patel), Temba, Washington made runs. If you say this is a turning wicket, majority wickets were taken by seamers,' he added.
Except for Washington Sundar and Axar Patel (26) no other Indian batter scored above the 20-run mark in the second innings. The experienced trio of Rishabh Pant (2), K L Rahul (1) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (0) managed just three runs between them in the second innings when India were chasing 124 for victory.
Gavaskar echoed Gambhir's words on the pitch and believes India could have easily chased down 124 as the pitch didn't any demons in it.
'I totally agree with what the Indian coach has said because there were no demons in the pitch. The odd ball turned on Day 3 but it was not a pitch where you got all out for 90-odd like the Indian team did. 124 was gettable with atleast five wickets in hand,' Gavaskar told the India Today television channel.
'It didn't start to crumble from day one. On Indian pitches, you are likely to get a puff of dust but it was not a crumbling pitch, not at all.
'It was not a bad pitch. It was just that the Indians didn't learn from what Temba Bavuma did. Temba Bavuma showed, someone who plays on bouncy pitches back home, that good technique and good temperment, playing with patience, playing with soft hands, not looking to jab at the ball, is something which can help you to score runs.'
'India needed one batter to bat like Temba Bavuma and score 55, and they would have got to 124 without a problem.'
'This wasn't a bad pitch, The Indian batters in both the innings did not show the resolve to try and stick around. You have to keep your ego in the changing room. There is an issue (with the Indian batters) when the ball is doing just a little bit,' he added.
South Africa off-spinner Simon Harmer took four wickets in each innings as India suffered their fourth defeat in the last six Tests at home -- including three against New Zealand. In all four defeats, India's batters have flopped against spin.
Gavaskar was unhappy with the approach of the Indian batters and gave the example of opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, who looked to be aggressive despite India having to chase only 124 for victory.
The left-hander attempted a few loose shots off Marco Jansen in the first over, before he perished for a duck in the second innings. He was dismissed by Jansen in both innings, scoring just two runs in the match.
'You saw Simon Harmer, how many of his deliveries really turned? How many of Keshav Maharaj's deliveries turned? Not many, the odd delivery did turn and the odd delivery will turn on Day 3.
'The point is that did the Indian batsmen show requisite temperament? I am not talking about the technique.
'You saw Yashasvi Jaiswal start in the second innings, did you see the first three balls, the kind of shots that he attempted? Three balls, first over this is what you play? Eventually he got out to a very good delivery, that is a different matter.
So temperamentally you are told "arre maaro (go and hit)", while the new ball is there "maaro, jitna runs ho jayega maaro (go and hit, look for runs)". That is not what Test cricket is, in Test cricket you can leave deliveries alone, you can wait for the scoreable deliveries, you can look for ones and twos, you can't be all the time looking for boundaries and sixes.
'You want to have a look at the temperament of some of the guys. I am not saying Jaiswal doesn't have it, maybe he didn't get it right in one game, he is a very, very talented cricketer. But his approach in the second innings in the first three deliveries was little bit hard to understand.'
'They have to just look at how Temba Bavuma played. Temba Bavuma showed how to play on a pitch where there was something. Even our bowlers, Axar, Jadeja did not turn every ball, the odd ball was turning, that's it.
'Kuldeep, being a wrist spinner, can turn the ball on glass, they don't assistance from the pitch but how many of Jadeja's deliveries or Axar's deliveries kicked and bounced, not many, yes the odd one did.
'That is why I am saying when we are talking about the pitch, pitch, pitch, we should be actually talk about the batting, batting, batting rather than the pitch.'