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Cape Town - Former South African captain Kepler Wessels says the Proteas should not blame the spin-friendly conditions for their Test series demise in India.
South Africa’s 124-run loss to India in the third Test match in Nagpur last week saw the hosts take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the four-game series.
The loss saw South Africa surrender an away Test series for the first time since 2006.
Several pundits and former players have hit out at the conditions, which heavily favoured the spin bowlers, with the Nagpur Test ending inside three days.
However, Wessels feels South Africans should take the defeat on the chin and not “whine”.
In a column on SuperSport.com, Wessels wrote:
“Each country has their preference in preparing surfaces to suit the strength of their team. In South Africa, over the past few seasons, we had two Test matches at Newlands where Australia and Pakistan got bowled out for less than 50. Both Tests came to a swift conclusion.
“There was also a Test against India at Centurion a while ago where the pitch was extremely bowler friendly and enabled the Proteas’ pace battery to destroy India in double-quick time.
“I don't recall any negative comment about those surfaces. The reason being, the Proteas won and the surfaces were deemed good for Test cricket. When the shoe is on the other foot it is far from ideal to blame conditions for defeat and become a nation of whiners.
“International cricket is a tough business and disappointment has to be taken on the chin when it happens. No one likes losing but sometimes one has to accept that the opposition was better. This has been the case over the last three Test matches in India. The home team outplayed the Proteas in every facet of the game.”
Meanwhile, India team director Ravi Shastri sees nothing wrong in Tests finishing inside three days and suggested South Africa could expect another rank turner in the fourth and final fixture in Delhi from Thursday.
"Nothing wrong with it," Shastri was quoted as saying on ESPNcricinfo. "I would hope the one in Delhi is absolutely the same. I have no qualms about it.
"It just goes to show that with the amount of one-day cricket being played, the tendency to graft, the tendency to spend long hours at the crease is diminishing.
"(The pitch was) absolutely not (a problem). It's on both sides... You have to stop cribbing and get on with the job at hand."
