‘Bigger concern was batting, not bowling’: Gavaskar after India’s historic Test win vs Afghanistan

Shubman Gill and KL Rahul (Photo by BCCI) NEW DELHI: India may have registered the biggest innings win in their Test history against Afghanistan, but the legendary Sunil Gavaskar believes the team’s biggest challenge is not the ball but the bat. India crushed Afghanistan by an innings and 300 runs in the one-off Test in Mullanpur on Monday, eclipsing their record margin of victory so far. The hosts amassed 564 for 8 declared, courtesy centuries from Shubman Gill and KL Rahul, before dismissing Afghanistan for 152 and 112. Left-arm debutant Manav Suthar played with seven wickets and was named man of the match.Despite the emphatic result, Gavaskar urged the team to stop looking through the lens of transition and instead focus on maintaining the standards expected of an Indian Test side.“It is time to stop constantly describing this team as in transition and instead focus on the standards expected in Test cricket,” Gavaskar said on JioStar’s ‘Cricket Live’.“Every team goes through retirements, personnel changes and periods of development, but ultimately the focus must remain on performance.”India are currently without several senior players, with a younger core led by captain Shubman Gill shouldering more responsibility. However, Gavaskar argued that the conversation should not revolve around transition forever.Looking back at India’s recent performances in the format, the batting legend identified the batting unit as an area that needed more attention.“When I look back at some of the recent results in India’s Tests, the bigger concern has been the batting rather than the bowling. The bowling attack has generally done its job, but the batsmen need to show more discipline and stronger technique, especially in tough situations.”The former captain’s assessment comes even after India put up a brilliant batting performance against Afghanistan. Gill and Rahul hit centuries while Sai Sudharsan and Rishabh Pant also contributed significantly as India crossed the 550-run mark.However, Gavaskar emphasized that success in one match should not distract from the larger goal of building consistency and resilience in Test cricket.He also warned against habits from the shortest format influencing decision-making in red-ball cricket.“Sometimes there is a tendency to slip into a T20 mindset where patience becomes difficult after a few balls and that can lead to bad decisions.”“Test cricket requires a different approach. Going forward, India should focus on tightening their batting processes, building longer innings and focusing on the present rather than looking at every result through the lens of transition,” he said.While Gavaskar highlighted batting discipline as the primary area for improvement, India’s bowlers again underlined their strength. Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna struck crucial blows with the new ball while the trio of Suthar, Washington Sundar and Kuldeep Yadav shared 14 wickets between them.The most outstanding artist was undoubtedly Suthar. The 23-year-old became only the 10th Indian overall and the seventh spinner from the country to take five wickets on Test debut. His first innings figures of 6/33 were the best by an Indian on Test debut in 38 years and his seven wickets in the match earned him the Player of the Match award.