"Players seemed confused because communication was lacking" - Discarded India batter's blunt criticism after 0-2 loss in IND vs SA 2025 Tests

Discarded India batter Ajinkya Rahane gave blunt criticism after the humiliating 0-2 Test series defeat against South Africa. The hosts lost the second Test by a massive margin of 408 runs. Rahane called for better communication after the defeat.

He reckoned that the players were confused regarding their roles in the team due to a lack of communication. For example, he expressed that Nitish Kumar Reddy could have walked in to bat at number four in the second innings of the second Test instead of Kuldeep Yadav being sent as a nightwatchman.

"The players seemed confused because the communication was lacking. We played with nine batters in the second Test. When Kuldeep came to bat at four as a nightwatchman, if you have nine batters, it is important to send batters itself. Nitish Reddy came in at number nine, I feel his contribution could have been better at four or five. You need to take a positive approach rather than looking to protect your batters if you have the depth," he said on his YouTube channel.

Rahane further stated that the confusion in the batting order meant that the Indian batters did not have enough confidence and clarity. Washington Sundar batted at number three in the first Test but was dropped down to number eight in the second. Rahane called for stability in the batting order going forward.

"There was confusion in the combination. I have told this before as well that your batting order being set is very important. The top four-five batters should play in the same position, which will give them confidence and role clarity. If you bat at every number, the situations are different and need different skill sets. You top four-five batters should be fixed and should be given that rope, only then can they deliver," he added.

India were bowled out for 140 in the second innings on the fifth day, surviving just 63.5 overs. Set a target of 549, they were unable to save the Test.

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Ajinkya Rahane on Indian batters requiring better preparation on turning tracks

Ajinkya Rahane also reckoned that the Indian batters lacked enough preparation to play on turning tracks at home. He pointed out that the batters hardly played on such wickets in domestic cricket, which is why they were found out against the South African spinners.

"When you play in India, it is not easy to play on spinning wickets. We play very little on turning wickets in domestic cricket. You need to have the right preparation. Have a camp at least 10 days before and have good practice sessions. We always tell Indian players play spin well but this has not been the case in recent times. You need to have ideal preparation," he said.

Simon Harmer bagged 17 wickets across both games while Keshav Maharaj chipped in with six wickets as well. Rahane also felt that the hosts' batters were taken aback and not prepared for the extra bounce that Marco Jansen generated. The tall left-arm quick bagged six wickets in the first innings of the second Test to push the hosts on the back foot.

"The Indian batters were surprised by the bounce Jansen got. He was bowling with consistency at one place. When you play such a bowler who is tall and gets extra bounce, you need to know how to use the bounce. We were in a good position in the first innings but lost quick wickets."

The hosts suffered their second whitewash at home in recent times, following a 0-3 defeat to New Zealand in 2024.