Former Indian batter Cheteshwar Pujara slammed India’s strategy after the hosts lost the opening Test match against South Africa at Eden Gardens, Kolkata by 30 runs on Sunday. Pujara questioned the stand-in captain Rishabh Pant and the team management for setting a defensive field.

South Africa scored 153 runs in their second innings and gave a target of 124 to the home team. But the hosts were bundled out for 93 runs to concede a lead in a two-match series.

Pujara criticized the team’s decision to have long-on for the South African batters on the third day’s play. The Proteas started their day on 93-7 but added another 60 runs to keep themselves in the contest.

“A bowler has very little say. When the strategy is made, the management and the captain have a greater input. As the game progresses, the bowlers tell their ideas to the captain. When the game starts, the captain and management discuss in the meeting, and then the bowlers are told about the field they will get and how they will have to bowl,” Cheteshwar Pujara said on Star Sports.

“No bowler would have said that he needed a long-on, or a deep square leg, or a deep fine leg. The captain and team management would have decided that, and they would have had to bowl according to that. Rishabh Pant is a stand-in captain, so we don’t know how big a say he has,” he added.

The former Indian number three questioned the team’s decision to have a long-on fielder for Temba Bavuma, who scored a match-winning knock of 55 runs off 136 balls in the second innings.

“The Indian team missed a trick. Temba Bavuma scored only five percent of his runs towards mid-on. A long-on fielder was kept for him from the start. It wasn’t understandable. If a batter hasn’t stepped out and hit Axar Patel or Ravindra Jadeja over the top, why are you trying to keep that fielder in the deep for him? Why are you giving him a single easily?” he said.

India and South Africa will take on each other in the second Test at Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati, from Saturday onwards.