Test team in transition? Sunil Gavaskar disagrees with coach Gautam Gambhir
India’s historic domestic dominance may have crumbled under the weight of successive limes, but batting legend Sunil Gavaskar insists it is time for the national side to stop hiding behind the convenient shield of a transitional period and focus squarely on improving batting performances.
In an interview with the JioHotstar broadcast, he follows India’s one-off Test win against Afghanistan at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in New Chandigarh, Gavaskar openly questioned the narrative surrounding the team’s current development. The comments are at odds with the outlook of head coach Gautam Gambhir and young captain Shubman Gill, sparking a fascinating ideological debate as India enter the defining phase of their ICC World Test Championship campaign, which includes away tours to Sri Lanka and New Zealand before a successful five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia at home early next year.
India is currently languishing in sixth place in the World Cup rankingswho managed just four wins from nine Tests. The root of Gavaskar’s concern lies in India’s unprecedented vulnerability at home, highlighted by a humiliating 0-2 defeat to South Africa last year. This capitulation followed an identical 0–2 whitewash at the hands of New Zealand in 2024, which broke India’s legendary multi-year unbeaten streak at home and marked their first ever series of two or more home whitewashes.
While much of the public discourse has focused on the void left by the Test exits of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Ravichandran Ashwin, Gavaskar believes the obsession with this generational shift is misplaced. Gill’s India showed immense promise by securing a hard-fought 2-2 draw in England last year, only to bounce back against South Africa.
“I think it’s time to move away from constantly describing this team as in transition and instead focus on the standards expected in Test cricket,” Gavaskar said.
“Every team goes through retirements, squad changes and periods of evolution, but ultimately the focus must remain on performance. Looking back at some of India’s recent Test results, the batting rather than the bowling has been a bigger concern.”
The little master was unsparing in his technical assessment of the batting order, which repeatedly collapsed during home disasters against New Zealand and South Africa.
“The bowling attack has generally done its job, but the batsmen need to show more discipline and stronger technique, especially in tough situations,” Gavaskar said.
“Sometimes we tend to slip into a T20 mindset where patience becomes difficult after a few balls and this 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.”
WHAT DID GAMBHIR SAY?
This rigid attitude is in stark contrast to Gambhir’s protective management approach. Speaking to reporters on Thursday, the Indian head coach mounted a staunch defense of his young squad, arguing that the transition phase is already well advanced and should not be used as a stick to beat the players.
“We played nine Test matches, did well in England and then beat the West Indies,” Gambhir said.
“So when people talk about the transition, that’s where it really started. If after nine Test matches you still feel it’s a long rope, I don’t necessarily agree.
Gambhir urged critics to look at the bigger picture of the development, stressing that the team’s erratic form is a natural by-product of the bloodbath of international newcomers.
“We all saw how well this young team did in England and then against the West Indies,” Gambhir added.
“Yes, losing the two Test series in South Africa hurt, but that’s part of any transition. Consistency can be an issue because these are young players. Most of them have played less than 30 Test matches, which is still not a lot of experience at this level.”
WHAT DOES CAPTAIN GILL THINK?
However, captain Shubman Gill has offered a pragmatic plan that bridges Gavaskar’s concerns with Gambhir’s development timeline and acknowledges that the young batting unit currently has a heavy burden.
“I’d say it’s pretty simple,” Gill said when asked about the switch to the transition side. “When you’re batting in the first innings, try to put 350 on the board every time you come in to bat, no matter where we’re playing or what the conditions are. I think there’s enough confidence in our bowling group that we can take 20 wickets anywhere.”
Rather than shying away from labeling the transition, Gill explained the inner workings of a batting group searching for its identity on the world stage.
“Whenever there is a transition, we feel the batting group is under more pressure and we are trying to gain experience,” admitted the skipper. “We’re trying to build here to see what kind of game can work for us as a batting line-up and in different conditions and different situations. How can we keep 350-400 totals on the board.”
India rode on centuries from Gill and KL Rahul and a fine spin-bowling show from debutant Manav Suthar to secure an innings and 310-run win over Afghanistan in New Chandigarh.
– The end
Issued by:
Akshay Ramesh
Published on:
08 Jun 2026 18:12 IST