BCCI told to address Test debacle and not get swayed by T20 wins: ‘Must still remain priority’

Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar issued a plea to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) not to forget India’s recent struggles in Tests amid the high success ratio in the white-ball formats. The hosts might have won the ODIs and T20Is comprehensively, but one mustn’t forget that the side were whitewashed by the Proteas in the two-Test series, which marked India’s second home series loss in a span of one year, having previously lost the series against New Zealand 0-3 last year.

Head coach Gautam Gambhir is already facing a lot of flak for India’s dwindling returns in the longest format, as under his tenure, India lost the series against the Kiwis, Australia and South Africa. India were also not able to win against England, drawing the five-match Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.

The defeat against South Africa in Kolkata and Guwahati opened a can of worms, once again showcasing how the Indian batters have lost the art of playing against spin as Simon Harmer wreaked havoc. Yes, Shubman Gill was unavailable due to a neck injury, but nothing explains why the hosts were unable to chase down the target of 124 in the first Test at the Eden Gardens.

Manjrekar took to X to say that Tests remain the pinnacle of the sport and addressing issues in this particular format needs to remain the “priority” despite of the success in the white-ball formats.

“Test cricket may not be the most popular format today but it’s results linger. Ind may have won the ODI & T20 series v SA but it’s 2-0 defeat in Tests still lingers. Tests results reveal the true health of a nation’s cricket, hence addressing that must still remain priority,” Manjrekar wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

Poor planning

Ever since Gambhir took over as the head coach, the former India opening batter has been criticised for playing all-rounders and keeping specialists on the back burner.

The retirements of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Ravichandran Ashwin have escalated problems with replacements not truly setting the stage on fire. Sai Sudharsan, Karun Nair and Dhruv Jurel all failed to settle the debate and confirm their slots in the playing XI.

Following the loss to Australia, a review meeting was held, during which the BCCI cracked the whip, asking all centrally contracted players to put in the hard yards and return to domestic cricket.

However, a review of the South Africa loss is still awaited. The decision of the management to play on a rank turner in Kolkata also didn’t go down well and it’s common knowledge that the management spearheaded by Gambhir asked the Kolkata curator Sujan Mukherjee not to water the pitch for two days prior to the Test as they wanted the track to assist the spinners. However, the move backfired spectacularly.

India don’t play another Test for eight months now as their next assignment will be against Sri Lanka when the side travels for a two-match series. A loss against South Africa has meant that India once again stare down the barrel, with chances of making it to the World Test Championship (WTC) final looking bleak.