'Should've been able to chase...' - Rishabh Pant's massive statement on India's defeat against South Africa
After India’s defeat to South Africa, Rishabh Pant expressed disappointment, saying the team “should’ve been able to chase” the target. Here's what he said and why it matters.
Rishabh Pant (Image Credit: BCCI)
Last Updated: 05.43 PM, Nov 16, 2025
India's defeat against South Africa at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata, was something which the audience hadn't anticipated. The silent crowd, the disappointed players, and a worried head coach were the summary of the match. With this victory, South Africa captain Temba Bavuma maintains his winning streak. In 11 games, he has won 10 and one game ended in a draw.
After losing against the Proteas, India's stand-in captain Rishabh Pant looked visibly upset, as he spoke about the match at the post-match presentation. Without any hesitation, Pant admitted that India should have won the match and could have handled the pressure well.
"A game like this, you can't dwell into it too much. We should've been able to chase this score. The pressure built on us in the second innings and we weren't able to capitalise. Temba and Bosch had a brilliant partnership and that got them back into the game. There was help on the wicket, a score like 120 can be tricky, but as a team we should be able to soak in the pressure and capitalise. Haven't thought about it (improvements?), the match has just finished, will come back strong," said Rishabh Pant in the post-match presentation.
Should India make changes in playing XI in 2nd match?
India's disastrous descisions in the first match against South Africa cost them an easy win. Dropping Sai Sudarshan and going for an extra spinner didn't help the team much as they couldn't change down 124 runs with a team full of all-rounders. The reason was simple: hosts needed a spin specialist batter which wasn't available in the playing XI.
Looking at India's history of making weird decisions under Gautam Gambhir, it's difficult to say whether they will change the playing XI in the upcoming match. However, bringing in Sai Sudarshan will be a good option as they already have Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, and Ravindra Jadeja who can bat as well as bowl. Nevertheless, it will be interesting to see the changes, and the performances of the players in the upcoming match.
How to watch the India vs South Africa, 2nd Test?
Cricket fans in India can watch the India vs South Africa, 2nd Test online from November 22 on JioHotstar, accessible via OTTplay Premium.