India’s Test vice-captain Rishabh Pant has apologised for the team’s shambolic performance in the 0-2 series loss to South Africa, asserting that the team will “regroup, refocus and reset” to come back stronger.India were handed a 0-2 drubbing in the series that ended with the second Test in Guwahati on Tuesday. Pant led the home side in this match as regular skipper Shubman Gill was nursing a neck injury.
The team lost the game by a mammoth 408 runs, further denting the aura of invincibility around its home record and making its path to World Test Championship final more difficult.
“There is no shying away from the fact that we didn’t play good enough cricket over the last two weeks. As a team and as individuals, we always want to perform at the highest level and bring smiles to billions of Indians,” Pant, who is personally drawing flak for his reckless shot selection during the series, said in a post on ‘X’.
“Sorry we couldn’t live up to expectations this time, but sport teaches you to learn, adapt and grow – both as a team and as individuals…We know what this team is capable of and we will work hard, regroup, refocus and reset to come back stronger and better as a team & individuals,” he added.
Pant insisted that representing India is the greatest honour of the players’ lives.
The defeat at the hands of a well-prepared South Africa came within a year of the embarrassing 0-3 whitewash inflicted by a lesser fancied New Zealand side.
Both the touring sides capitalised on Indian batters lack of application against quality spinners.
Head coach Gautam Gambhir has faced the maximum scrutiny for the recent failures. Several former players have questioned his insistence on filling the side with all-rounders instead of slotting specialists for specific positions. India is not due to play any more Test cricket until next year. In the wider picture, Pant’s apology reflects a dressing room that understands the magnitude of its recent setbacks and the urgency of finding solutions before the next red-ball assignment arrives.