The Indian Test team is in big trouble. Under Gautam Gambhir’s coaching, the side suffered two home series defeats in a span of just 13 months, sending fans into a state of panic. The losses – to New Zealand in 2024 and South Africa in 2025 – have raised alarm bells throughout the Indian cricket ecosystem, largely because of the way they unfolded. In both the series, the Indian batsmen were comprehensively outplayed by the overseas spinners.
The recent defeat against South Africa, where India collapsed in both Kolkata and Guwahati, saw Gambhir struggling to find an explanation in the post-series press conference. He argued that the Indian team was going through a transition phase and would gradually relearn the demands of Test cricket. Gambhir stressed that the side needed time to stabilise, especially after the departure of three stalwarts from the Indian cricket game last season.
In today’s edition of the Democratic Review System, where India Today journalists share their views on the sport’s most pressing issues, we ask the direct question: Who is really responsible for the mess Indian cricket is in?
Nikhil Naz
Indian cricket has never had it so bad. The two domestic series whitewashes in the span of 13 months are undisputedly the lowest point in Indian cricket.
It is no coincidence that this phase coincided with India’s obsession with trying to play red-ball cricket with a white-ball mindset. Whether it’s the obsession with all-rounders, IPL performances leading to Test selection or shuffling playing XIs based on head-to-head matches – these are actually all white-ball concepts that riff on the grammar of Test cricket.
As for the players — who is responsible for the players’ poor technique? With a think tank that refuses to get rid of rank fluctuations and never allows players to fully adapt to one set of conditions and maximize ‘home advantage’, players will struggle to patiently develop the skills to appreciate wickets or batting.
Coach Gautam Gambhir said after the loss in SA: “Individuals don’t matter, the team does. It may be in the best interest of Indian cricket at the moment to step aside and allow the new coach and thought process to move things forward.”
That said, Gambhir, the white-ball coach, has a lot to show for and should be the man to lead India through the 2026 T20 World Cup and 2027 ODIs.
Akshay Ramesh
Gautam Gambhir and Ajit Agarkar: It is unfair to blame players when they have not been given a clear role or consistent runs. Yes, it is easy to say that the current crop lacks the tools to play spin, but the likes of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane have also struggled against spin in the latter stages of their Test careers.
India, unlike the West Indies or even Australia and England, has an assembly line of cricketers equipped to play Test cricket. However, Gambhir and Agarkar have faltered at the selection level.
Even though Agarkar’s selection committee doesn’t seem to have a clear yardstick for Test selection, Gambhir has remade India into this Test crisis.
Anurag Kumar Jha
Chief selector Ajit Agarkar and head coach Gautam Gambhir are also responsible for the poor state of the Indian team in Test cricket. The performances of the players were poor, but the decisions taken by these two were also far from correct.
The dismissal of cricketers like Mohammed Shami and Sarfaraz was surprising. The chief selector also traveled with the team on overseas tours, yet he failed to pick the right Test team. Homegrown stars like Yash Rathod and Smaran Ravichandran also need to be considered.
Gautam Gambhir is known for experimenting and leaving no stone unturned in sinking the team. Washington Sundar was forced to bat at number three in the Calcutta Test and then was sent in at number eight in the next Test. Gambhir needs to show complete faith in his players.
If you don’t perform well as a team in Test cricket, the results won’t come. India have lost Test matches at home before, but such heavy defeats against New Zealand and South Africa have not happened at home.
Gambhir and Agarkar are talking about a transition but neither is moving in the right direction. The Indian team has also stumbled in Test cricket due to the departure of stalwarts like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravichandran Ashwin.
Whether the three were forced to retire or made the decision wholeheartedly cannot be said for sure. But one thing is certain: Gautam Gambhir’s coaching style is not proving effective for the team.
Shayne Dias
India, who have suffered whitewashed Test series at home in SENA countries over the course of a year, have cast an uncomfortable light on head coach Gautam Gambhir. And it’s fair to say he’s played his part in the mess – insisting on all-rounders for bits and pieces for true specialists is Gambhir’s trademark across formats, but it’s fair to say his tactics don’t lend themselves to Test cricket.
But is it fair to lay all the blame at Gambhir’s doorstep? After all, the malaise goes much deeper. Despite public statements about the importance of domestic cricket – words that have largely been backed up by action as top stars have been more active for their national teams – there are still issues to be addressed.
Domestic performers continue to be ignored and white ball specialists are selected for red ball duties. This is a problem that precedes Gambhir. To make matters worse, the few homegrown artists who do break through — like Sarfaraz Khan and Karun Nair — are dropped at the first sign of trouble.
The problems are too big to focus on one man. The decline of India’s Tests is due to poor succession planning and willful ignorance of the players best suited to the format, and the blame lies with whoever is running things.
Sacrifice Gambhir is easy but remember to hold others accountable as they too have contributed to this mess.
Rishabh Beniwal
Team India is going through one of its worst phases in Test cricket. The fall of their once famous impregnable home fortress is an increasingly common occurrence.
The accused man is none other than head coach Gautam Gambhir, who has failed to provide stability to the players under his reign. Constant chopping and changing in the team along with the absence of specialist players contributed to the downfall of the team.
While the head coach has been pushing for consistent performances from the players in domestic cricket, none of the best domestic players have been drafted into the team.
To get India out of this mess, Gambhir needs to ditch the T20I style of coaching for the purest format of the game and give the players consistent runs to settle into their respective roles.
Siddharth Viswanathan
0-8 away in 2011/12 or 0-5 at home in 2024/25? When one looks at the low points in Indian cricket, many will look at this current period as the low point.
But at this point it is clear that Gautam Gambhir and Ajit Agarkar will have knives. Tasked with making tough decisions and guiding the team through transition, the duo fell in two home whites in 2024 and 2025.
But are Gambhir and Agarkar alone to blame? What about the players? Yes, one can question Gambhir for using white ball principle too much in Tests. Yes, team selection is one area where Gautam Gambhir can be cornered.
But when it comes to skill, application and mindset, what do players do? The constant changes in the nature of Indian wickets have crushed the batter’s techniques in a big way. They are not able to adjust themselves mentally. It’s getting too difficult.
If we were to pinpoint the exact cause of India’s downfall, there are many. Firstly, you have over-corrected in an attempt to play swing and swing and therefore your spin-bowling skills have deteriorated.
In the past regimes, playing domestic cricket was considered the inferior dignity of star players. So when one conveniently ignores the system around which cricket is built, it has to happen.
– The end
Issued by:
Kingshuk Kusari
Published on:
November 29, 2025
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