By Vivek Prabhakar Singh
New Delhi [India], November 21 : Former South African cricketer Jonty Rhodes said that Team India does not need to prepare turning wickets as they can bowl out their opponents with their pace line-up and having another spin-friendly wicket for the second Test against South Africa will be a "big test of their ability". He also expressed that India has the ability to bounce back and end the series with scorelines level.
Rhodes was speaking at the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) TURF 2025 - 15th Global Summit on the Business of Sports. His comments came after eight wickets by spinner Simon Harmer and some sensational assists from other spinners condemned India to their first loss at Eden Gardens in 13 years, as they failed to chase down 124 runs set by the Proteas and were restricted to 93/9, with skipper Shubman Gill unavailable to bat due to a neck injury.
This marks India's fourth loss to a South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia (SENA) nation at home in Tests, raising questions over the team's ability to handle world-class spin attacks on their home turf and whether India's home advantage of preparing massively spin-friendly wickets is backfiring on them.
Rhodes, while talking to ANI, said, "The surface plays a big part in whatever you do. India does not have to make turning wickets. They have got great seamers in their lineup, and they have certainly shown that they can bowl teams out with pace. And a lot of it boils down to what conditions you are faced on, and who adapts, and who has the sort of balance in the team."
"So, South Africa, I mean, they were all Test champions. The only trophy we've won in like 20-odd years. So we can play Test cricket. They are not a fancy team with massive stars. They are just guys who get out and do the work. So whatever surface is prepared, it is going to be a tough series. You know, the next game is going to be a tough one. But India has that ability (to come back). They certainly do."
"So if they prepare another turning wicket, you know, it's going to be a big test of their ability. And we see they did not quite stand up to it (In Kolkata). But from a South African point of view, whatever they get, they knuckle down and do the basics really well.
They are not a flashy team, but they are a strong, strong unit together. And I think that's a lot to do with Temba Bavuma's captaincy," he concluded his point.
The former South African star, who rose to prominence primarily due to his electrifying, era-defining fielding skills, said that it was great to see Indian women's team finally win their first-ever World Cup title across both 50-over and 20-over formats, with a fifer and fifty from Deepti Sharma and a knock of 87 from Shafali Varma playing a crucial role in setting 299 for chase to South Africa, which they could not get despite a century from captain Laura Wolvaardt. Proteas fell 52 runs short and a 50-over WC or 20-over WC in men's and women's cricket continues to elude them.
Rhodes said that it was great to see India lift the cup since he loves "all things India".
"It was a great final for me. Obviously, I spent half my year in India, half the year in Cape Town. My daughter's name is India. So, you know, I love all things about India. It was an easy final for me. It is just the result; somebody had to win it. And, you know, and for me, it was great to see the success of women's team, and we know that success breeds success. Having ladies do well and see these stars rising in the squad was great. It was not just one player, but standout performances came from all players," he said.
Rhodes also spoke about how he went from coaching only three or four girls in a batch of 24 players in Indian academies to the men-women ratio becoming "half and half".
"The opportunities that young Indian women are getting to play cricket in India are going to grow even more. It is exciting from India's point of view, while it is worrying for us South Africans as we will face some real up-and-coming talent from India for years to come," he added.
Rhodes also said that given India's size and potential, it is important that sports and business come together, and events where businesses and governments come together to promote sports, need to happen more, as there are "great things happening in isolation".
"We have seen in the Women's World Cup, congratulations India for winning the Women's World Cup. We have seen the success of the men's cricket team. I am obviously a big fan of hockey. I have seen the growth of hockey. But because of the size of India, the vastness, it needs to be able to connect the dots because there is great things happening in isolation. So events like this, where business, where government come together to promote sports, is essential because we know India has a population, it has the talent, and it now has the hunger to be successful, not just in cricket. And without events like this, it's very difficult for that sort of network to be connected," he concluded.
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