Sports
India Given Radical Advise To Avoid Disastrous Performance In Tests: ‘Shorten IPL And Play…’ | Cricket News
Last Updated:
South Africa humbled India 2-0 in a two-match Test series which has led to widespread criticism of the home team.
Is shortening IPL the way to revive India’s fortunes in Tests? (AFP Photo)
India’s second series whitewash at home in just over a year has raised a series of questions over the dwindling quality of their Test side. If the 0-3 defeat to New Zealand that derailed their ICC World Test Championship campaign was a wake-up call, the latest 0-2 loss against South Africa should lead to serious introspection.
The term ‘transition’ has often featured in conversations around the Indian Test team given the recent retirements of their red-ball stalwarts including Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, R. Ashwin, and Cheteshwar Pujara. However, Pujara doesn’t think that is the case, citing the talent and potential of the current Test squad.
The Kolkata pitch was blamed for the poor show from Indian batters as it was overwhelmingly supportive to spinners, with the contest concluding inside three days. However, in Guwahati, the venue of the second Test, the surface was much better for the batters, as South African batters showed, but India batters managed to survive a combined 147.3 overs while the visiting team batted 151.1 overs in their first innings alone.
South Africa legend Herschelle Gibbs has indicated that India’s prospects in Test cricket have taken a hit due to the IPL, and he advises to shorten the annual T20 tournament.
“Shorten IPL and play more Test cricket,” Gibbs responded to a query from a social media user on what India can do to improve in Tests.
There has been criticism of head coach Gautam Gambhir too, but Ashwin has put the onus of delivering the results on the players.
“What can a coach do? I’m asking you a simple question. Put yourself in the coach’s position. You may say a player needs continuity and that there has been a lot of rotation, fine, agreed. But the skill to play and perform is the player’s responsibility,” Ashwin said.
“I haven’t seen enough responsibility taken by enough players to say the coach is the problem… I didn’t see enough from the players’ side to blame decision-making alone. Sure, decision-making can always be better, no doubt. But I personally don’t like this individual attack, because we always look for someone to blame,” he added.
Feroz Khan has been covering sports for over 12 years now and is currently working with Network18 as Principal Correspondent. He embarked on his journey in 2011 and has since acquired vast experience in digital…Read More
Feroz Khan has been covering sports for over 12 years now and is currently working with Network18 as Principal Correspondent. He embarked on his journey in 2011 and has since acquired vast experience in digital… Read More
November 27, 2025, 19:56 IST
Read More