By: Express News ServiceUpdated: November 19, 2025 07:25 PM IST 2 min readChief selector Ajit Agarkar and India head coach Gautam Gambhir at a practice session at Eden Gardens ahead of the 1st Test vs South Africa. (Express Photo | Partha Paul)Former South Africa captain AB de Villiers believes that India coach Gautam Gambhir may have made clear his displeasure with the performance of India’s batting, in their 30-run defeat to the Proteas in the first Test in Kolkata this week, with his comments regarding the controversial pitch that was laid out at Eden Gardens.The deck had plenty of uneven bounce that was exploited by fast bowlers and turned deviously to aid the spinners. South Africa won a crucial toss and riding off-spinner Simon Harmer’s eight wickets, ended up with a famous win. Gambhir had defended the pitch saying it was what they asked the curators to prepare and that defensive batting prowess would have allowed for run-scoring.De Villiers believes the thinly-veiled criticism was a sign that the India coach was not happy with his team. “Before I could blink the Test match was over. Exactly the wicket India wanted, says India coach Gautam Gambhir. Very interesting comments there. Maybe he is having a go at the players, saying ‘This what we prepared, why didn’t we perform?’” he said on his YouTube channel.The former South Africa captain added that India is shedding their invincibility at home due to the changing nature of the pitches.“An interesting trend is developing in India over the last three to five years. Obviously, it is very difficult to beat India at home, but over the last three to five years, things are changing,” he added. “Some concerns for India. They have lost four games there and that is unheard of… What is happening here? Have they become the worse players of spin? I don’t think so. Oppositions are more prepared and understand the conditions.”“Maybe India have to change the makeup of the pitches and not ask for turners. Make it more of a fair Test pitch that will last at least four days,” de Villiers said.Stay updated with the latest sports news across Cricket, Football, Chess, and more. Catch all the action with real-time live cricket score updates and in-depth coverage of ongoing matches.© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd