Former India head coach Ravi Shastri launched a sharp critique of the Indian batting unit following their shaky performance on the third day of the second Test match against South Africa.

Shastri was blunt in his assessment, concluding that the team’s batting display was “very ordinary.” His remarks were made in the context of India’s disappointing total of 142 runs for the loss of seven wickets (presumably in the second innings), which he felt was unacceptable given the conditions. According to the former coach, the surface was still suitable for batting and did not warrant such a collapse. “This is not a pitch to be 142 for seven,” Shastri stated, emphasizing that the players needed to acknowledge their sub-par execution.

His comments echoed the earlier observations of former South African fast bowler Shaun Pollock, who had characterized several Indian dismissals as “very soft.” Pollock suggested that the nature of the wickets—many resulting from errors rather than exceptional bowling—was a major cause for concern.

A look at the specific dismissals highlighted the carelessness in execution:

• KL Rahul offered a simple catch to the slips after lunging forward and mis-timing a shot off spinner Keshav Maharaj.
• Yashasvi Jaiswal misjudged a slower ball, pushing it weakly to a fielder positioned close to the bat.
• Sai Sudharsan squandered a promising start by pulling a harmless delivery directly to mid-wicket.
• Wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel attempted an ill-advised pull shot off Marco Jansen, dragging the ball from outside off-stump to be caught at mid-on.
• Rishabh Pant charged down the pitch in a reckless attempt at a cross-batted slog off Jansen, only to edge the ball.
• Further casualties included Nitish Reddy, who spliced a Jansen bouncer to gully, and Ravindra Jadeja, who also mistimed a pull off a short ball, deflecting it to the slips.

Former India opener Abhinav Mukund supported the harsh criticism, stressing that the performance raises “definite question marks” over the Indian batsmen. He noted that with no home Test series scheduled for the following year, the team has a significant window to review and adjust their approach at the Test level, stating that this showing against South Africa will undoubtedly be a painful experience for the squad.