India, Nov. 22 -- India had a new Test captain lead them out onto the field as Rishabh Pant took over the reins in Shubman Gill's absence. There was bound to be a lot of pressure on Pant in terms of his leadership and tactics, with this being his first international exposure to captaincy - and it got off to a rocky start.

South Africa's top order batters started well at the ACA Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati, with Pant quickly pivoting to a relatively defensive field in order to contain the scoring on a true batting wicket. With his spinners in operation, the wicketkeeper opted to keep the field spread with not too many close-in fielders.

Pundits weren't happy with how this decision eased the pressure on the Proteas. Speaking on Star Spo...