Indian Cricket Faces Tough Times Under Gautam Gambhir’s Coaching
As Indian cricket struggles in the longer format, former player Sunil Gavaskar has pointed out that preparation is a critical issue. This observation comes after India experienced a harsh defeat against South Africa, marking another home Test series whitewash during Gautam Gambhir’s time as head coach.
Under Gambhir’s leadership, India faced a challenging 0-3 defeat at home to New Zealand in 2024, followed by a 0-2 loss to South Africa in 2025. In an exclusive interview with journalist Rajdeep Sardesai, Gavaskar emphasized that both New Zealand and South Africa had better preparation, which helped them adapt to the conditions in India.
Gavaskar stated, “Rather than focusing on what went wrong for India, we should recognize the solid preparation of both teams. New Zealand played a series in Sri Lanka beforehand, getting accustomed to the weather and pitches. South Africa also visited Pakistan before coming to India, and their ‘A’ team had matches against India A, which helped some players be more prepared for the Tests.”
Scheduling Concerns
Gavaskar raised questions about the scheduling of matches amid the busy cricket calendar. He critiqued the ODI series against Australia, which occurred right after India played the West Indies at home. He believes that this series was unnecessary since the ODI World Cup is not expected until 2027. Although India is a lucrative market for cricket, it often finds itself in demand throughout the year.
He noted, “The current market dynamics mean India is scheduled to tour other countries almost yearly to boost TV revenues. Last year, we played five Test matches in Australia, and what happened this year? We went again during our home season.”
Gavaskar suggested that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) should take a more assertive stance regarding overseas tours during the home season to help the Indian team stay in sync with local conditions.
“I believe India should emphasize its importance. Australia doesn’t travel during its home season, and India should do the same—request that visiting teams come to India if they want to play against us. Playing the ODI or T20 series in Australia during our Test series didn’t make sense, but it was a bilateral agreement we had to follow,” he added.
With a shift in focus now on white-ball cricket leading up to the T20 World Cup 2026 in India, the Men in Blue are set to play a three-match ODI series against South Africa, followed by five T20 matches. India’s next Test match is scheduled for August 2026, and it remains to be seen how the management tackles these challenges to revitalize the Indian Test team’s performance at home.
