Kolkata: India head coach Gautam Gambhir with Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel (PTI Photo/Swapan Mahapatra) Sunil Gavaskar has issued a stark warning to the Indian team management and selectors following India’s defeat to South Africa in the opening Test in Kolkata, urging them to rethink their approach to team building in the longest format. The former India captain said in his Sportstar column that the loss should prompt both the BCCI selectors and head coach Gautam Gambhir’s management group to put more faith in proven domestic performers rather than relying on limited-overs-style all-rounders. Without naming anyone, he emphasized that Test cricket requires specialists, long-term patience and discipline, not selections influenced by ego or short-term form. Gavaskar wrote that India’s three-day loss at the Eden Gardens exposed a familiar problem where the batsmen once again failed to handle the spin-friendly home tracks. He said the defeat highlighted how players who prioritize international commitments outside India often lack the experience needed to turn domestic pitches around.
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According to him, the solution lies in turning to domestic heavy shooters who are used to dealing with spin on a low and dry surface. “International players spend so much time abroad that they rarely encounter similar pitches at home, and that’s where the problems start,” he explained in his column. He also reminded current players that success in Test cricket comes from letting go of ego and accepting that bowlers will sometimes dominate. Attempts to get out of trouble, he wrote, will only make the situation worse. Patient collection, waiting for scoring opportunities and humility, he said, remain at the heart of Test batting. Gavaskar appeared to covertly run over Gambhir and chief selector Ajit Agarkar’s continued support of Nitish Kumar Reddy as a Test all-rounder. Although he did not mention the player directly, he clarified that a true Test all-rounder must be strong enough to be selected purely as a batsman or purely as a bowler. According to him, those who contribute just a handful of overs or minimum runs do not fulfill the requirements of the format. He acknowledged that there is value in a batsman who can bowl the occasional ball, or a bowler capable of holding the end of the bat, but insisted that India must refrain from picking players who would not make the XI in either discipline on their own. This point has been the focus of recent criticism, particularly during the home Tests in the West Indies, where Reddy barely bowled. He bowled only four overs in the first innings at Ahmedabad and was not used at all in the Delhi Test. Finally, Gavaskar warned that India’s next home Test is more than a year away, making clarity on selection philosophy all the more important. If management continues to conflate limited needs with Test-match expectations, he said, India may again fall short of reaching the World Test Championship final, as they did in June.
