Ever since 1991, when South Africa was formally allowed a re-entry into the game of cricket (kept away from the gentleman’s game for 21 years since 1970 for their practice of apartheid), India’s role has been significant in their scheme of things. Rather coincidentally, it was at Eden Gardens that they began their new journey by playing their first ODI on November 10 that year. It must not have been lost on cricket observers that the City of Joy has turned out to be a favourite hunting ground for the Proteas once again.

Quite ironically, it was November (16th) yet again, albeit three decades later. On a viciously spinning track, famously derided as ‘dust bowls’ by commentators many a time, they crushed the seemingly invincible home team by 30 runs, shocking the game’s fanatics, who consoled themselves feeling that the young team would bounce back and square off in the two-match series. While the hopefuls thought the series would be drawn in Guwahati where action began last weekend, the host’s tame surrender against some accurate, hostile spin attack made them look like amateurs, nay paper tigers, a condition which had enveloped them on foreign tours for years together, even on home grounds, where defeating them was considered nigh impossible for even the best teams in the world not too long ago.

Lack of application and a severe deficiency in playing red ball cricket seems to be the immediate diagnosis bandied about in the media. Those who always had a not-too flattering opinion of Gautam Gambhir as the coach promptly pointed out to the terrible defeats the Indian team has faced in Test cricket – the earlier one against New Zealand, when the Black Caps secured a new record with a whitewash after more than six decades of touring India. In Temba Bavuma, South Africa has now unearthed a leader who is yet to face defeat in 12 Tests, an envious record by any standards.

Already, in the World Test Championship for 2025-27, with this performance India has slipped into fifth place and does not have too much hope of making it to the final with the top two teams being Australia and South Africa, who clashed in June that the latter won, coming from behind after conceding a first innings lead and overhauling the target in the second innings with five wickets to spare.

With the forthcoming Test matches to be played in Sri Lanka, where India has won five of the six Tests earlier and New Zealand, which would be loath to concede its psychological hold over the Men in Blue, red ball cricket is going to be the bugbear for India in the forthcoming months.

What will be pertinent to note will be the future moves of BCCI, the conciliatory tone of Gambhir, who declared that his future is in the hands of the cricket body, and the mounting opposition to the temperamental attitude of the coach under whose leadership the Indian cricket team has not covered itself with glory in the longest form of the game. Contemptuously termed as ‘the eternal chokers’ by many, the ‘transformed’ Proteas have turned into ruthless knockers, which augurs well for cricket overall.