Sunil Gavaskar has issued a strong 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. Writing in his Sportstar column, the former India captain said the loss should force both the BCCI selectors and head coach Gautam Gambhir’s management group to place greater faith in proven domestic performers rather than relying on limited-overs-style all-rounders in Test cricket. Without naming any individual, he stressed that Test cricket demands specialists, long-term patience and discipline, not picks influenced by ego or short-term form. Gavaskar wrote that India’s three-day loss at Eden Gardens exposed a familiar issue, with batters once again unable to handle spin-friendly home tracks. He said the defeat highlighted how players who prioritise international commitments outside India often lack the experience needed on turning domestic pitches.
According to him, the solution lies in turning towards domestic heavy scorers who are accustomed to tackling spin on low and dry surfaces. “International players spend so much time abroad that they rarely face these kinds of pitches at home, and that is where the problems begin,” he explained in his column. He also reminded current players that success in Test cricket comes from leaving ego behind and accepting that bowlers will sometimes dominate. Attempting to hit their way out of trouble, he wrote, only worsens matters. Patient accumulation, waiting for scoring opportunities and humility, he said, remain the core of Test batting. Gavaskar then appeared to take a veiled swipe at Gambhir and chief selector Ajit Agarkar’s continued support of Nitish Kumar Reddy as a Test all-rounder. While not mentioning the player outright, he clarified that a genuine Test all-rounder must be strong enough to be selected purely as a batter or purely as a bowler. Those who only contribute a handful of overs or minimal runs, he said, do not meet the demands of the format. He acknowledged that a batter who can bowl occasionally or a bowler capable of holding up an end with the bat has value, but insisted that India must move away from choosing players who would not make the XI on either discipline alone. This point has been at the centre of recent criticism, especially during the West Indies home Tests, where Reddy barely bowled. He delivered 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 in selection philosophy even more crucial. If the management continues to conflate limited-overs needs with Test-match expectations, he said, India may once again fall short of reaching the World Test Championship final, just as they did in June.
