Team India’s recent Test performances have raised serious concerns, with heavy defeats against New Zealand and South Africa at home exposing their struggles against quality spin on familiar conditions. Once considered their biggest strength, turning tracks have instead highlighted glaring weaknesses in the batting unit. As a result, the pressure is mounting on Gautam Gambhir to deliver a strong response on the upcoming Sri Lanka tour. The conditions are expected to mirror those in India, making the series another crucial test of the team’s ability to handle spin and adapt under pressure. While the impressive England tour offered a glimpse of promise during this transition phase, the overall picture remains far from encouraging. The young Indian side has struggled for consistency, particularly on spin-friendly surfaces, leaving plenty of questions to answer ahead of another demanding assignment.
India are currently fifth in the World Test Championship standings, with four wins and four defeats from nine matches. Their chances of reaching the final appear slim, leaving little room for error in the remaining fixtures.
Former India chief selector Sandeep Patil has defended head coach Gambhir amid growing scrutiny over India’s recent Test struggles, insisting the responsibility for the team’s poor performances cannot rest on one individual. Patil pointed to the batters’ inability to handle spin and questioned the team’s preparation ahead of the home series defeat to New Zealand, saying the players were equally accountable for the disappointing results.
“The Sri Lanka tour is crucial for everyone; why only Gambhir? If Gambhir has failed to perform, so have the players. It is not right to pick on one guy. We were not able to play spinners and lost the home series against New Zealand because they came prepared. They practised on turning wickets. Whereas our team was practising at the CoE on good tracks,” Sandeep Patil told Times of India.
“Indian team is going through a rebuilding process”
Meanwhile, Former India coach Lalchand Rajput has urged patience with Gambhir, arguing that judging the head coach during a period of transition would be unfair. Rajput stressed that rebuilding takes time, especially after the retirements of senior players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, and backed both the players and the coaching staff to come good with continued support.
“I still feel that as a coach, there will be ups and downs. You can’t be winning all the time. The Indian team is going through a rebuilding process. And when the team is going through it, you have to give more time to the players and the coach. Greats like Rohit and Kohli have quit two formats, while India have a new T20 captain in Shreyas Iyer and have tried several new players in the T20 series in England,” said Rajput.
