New Delhi: The performance of the Indian batters today was deeply disappointing. Such a poor display of batsmanship has not been witnessed in years. In the first match, India lost to South Africa by 30 runs, failing to chase a modest target of 123 on a turning track. The second Test in Guwahati was played on a pitch favourable for batting, yet the team once again faltered—first collapsing against pace in the opening innings and then succumbing to spin in the second. The record-breaking defeat by 408 runs not only created an unwanted milestone but also broke the hearts of millions of cricket fans.
Following the retirement of stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, India introduced several young and talented players. Their performances, however, have been inconsistent—impressive at times, but shockingly poor on many occasions. Nitesh Reddy came into the limelight after a brilliant century against Australia in Melbourne, but has struggled to justify his place since then. The same story applies to Dhruv Jurel, who initially showed great promise but failed to establish himself thereafter. The inclusion of Sai Sudarshan too has not yielded satisfactory results. All three batters have played below par, disappointing fans with their repeated failures. They are likely to be dropped from the next Test series unless they deliver exceptional performances in domestic cricket.
The time has come for drastic changes in team selection. Players must be chosen strictly on the basis of their Ranji Trophy performances. They should be required to participate in the remaining Ranji matches for their state teams to gain essential match exposure.
With the next Test series scheduled in Sri Lanka in about ten months, preparations must begin with conditions in the host nation firmly in mind.
It may be better for Gautam Gambhir to resign from his critical position as head coach; otherwise, the BCCI should consider removing him immediately. If the BCCI chooses not to act, then perhaps India should limit itself to playing teams like Nepal, Maldives, or Bhutan—nations with comparatively weaker cricketing backgrounds—just to rebuild confidence and salvage its reputation.
