Haddin Critiques India's Spin Tactics After Eden Gardens Defeat

Former Australian cricketer Brad Haddin critiques India's loss to South Africa at Eden Gardens, emphasizing that spin-friendly surfaces have hindered India's ability to perform their best. Haddin highlights the need for big totals and aggressive field settings reminiscent of Virat Kohli's captaincy era to regain dominance.

In a critical appraisal of India's recent Test defeat at Eden Gardens, former Australian cricketer Brad Haddin has blamed the over-reliance on spin-friendly pitches for the team's disappointing performance. India lost to South Africa by 31 runs, a defeat that marks their first loss at the venue in 13 years.

Speaking on the Willow Talk Podcast, Haddin argued that India, under the leadership of Virat Kohli, previously thrived on putting up substantial scores and applying pressure on their adversaries with tight field settings. He suggested that India's current strategy leaves too much to chance and diminishes their strengths in spin bowling.

The match saw Simon Harmer dominate with eight wickets, exploiting the pitch's spin-favoring nature. Despite head coach Gautam Gambhir's defense of the surface, noting it was a test of skill and mental toughness, India now trails the series 1-0 and must regroup ahead of the second Test in Guwahati on November 22.

(With inputs from agencies.)