New Delhi, June 28 India’s struggles in Test cricket are piling the pressure on head coach Gautam Gambhir, according to former opener Aakash Chopra, as the team reels from a five-wicket defeat to England in the first Test at Headingley.
Despite solid contributions from the top order, India’s lower-order batting collapsed on both occasions, leaving the side with sub-par totals and enabling England to chase down a mammoth 371 in the final innings.
Chopra, analysing the loss on his YouTube channel, pointed to a glaring lack of balance in the Indian lineup. “Our tail doesn’t bat and our top order doesn’t bowl. They should bowl a little at least. I am not saying that you need to give 15-odd overs, that you should have a player like Jacques Kallis, or like they (South Africa) are playing Wiaan Mulder at No. 3, or Aiden Markram is bowling a lot,” Chopra said.
Referring to South Africa’s approach during the recent World Test Championship final, Chopra added, “Mulder, despite not being a top-order batter, has been promoted up the order for South Africa. It will work out even if that’s not the case. That’s not something you need to focus on. However, you need a little bit of bowling at least because you get some balance, options, and choices with that. However, that doesn’t happen because our batters don’t bowl.”
India did include Shardul Thakur for the Headingley Test, but he failed to make a significant impact with either bat or ball. “He has shown in the past that he can score runs and pick wickets,” Chopra acknowledged while highlighting India’s broader problems in the format.
Since getting whitewashed by New Zealand at home last November, India have managed just one victory in nine Tests — a streak that Chopra said is turning up the heat on Gambhir. “There is a lot of pressure on Gautam Gambhir. The pressure is absolutely mounting. If you look at his performances in Test cricket, you will find that he has not won a lot of matches,” Chopra said.
“He won two matches against Bangladesh and one against Australia. However, he lost three against New Zealand, three against Australia, and one against England. He has been continuously losing.”
Chopra warned that if the Indian team fails to mount a comeback in the ongoing Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, Gambhir’s position could come under serious scrutiny. “If the England series doesn’t go too well, then there will be a question mark – where are they going and what are they doing? Because the selectors will feel that whatever the team management is asking for is being given. The type of player you want, the number of players you want, and the player you are pointing at are being given. So, if that is the case, you need to deliver the results. Period. There are no excuses.”
But despite the mounting criticism, Gambhir remained defiant, backing his young bowling attack to regroup for the second Test at Edgbaston starting Wednesday. “When we pick the squad, we pick the squad on trust, not on hope. These boys will deliver for us,” Gambhir said after the defeat at Headingley.
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