India Must Tackle Test Cricket: The Indian cricket team’s 1-3 defeat in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia has sparked intense scrutiny over their Test cricket performance and preparation for the new WTC cycle. Experts like Gautam Gambhir and Mohammad Kaif have emphasized the need for senior players to participate in domestic cricket, particularly the Ranji Trophy. However, scheduling and workload challenges are likely to hinder their participation.
Kohli and Rohit Under Fire
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have been severely criticized after India’s disappointing tour of Australia. Kohli could score only 190 runs in nine innings with one century at Perth, whereas Rohit had the worst average by a visiting captain in Australia of 6.20. Their recent failure only underlines the broader challenge that India faces as they try to take their white-ball success into Tests.
Call for Domestic Cricket Participation
Critics argue that domestic tournaments like the Ranji Trophy provide the perfect opportunity for players to get used to difficult conditions, especially on seaming and turning tracks. Mohammad Kaif, in a social media video, emphasized the need to play domestic cricket to prepare for Test matches:
If we are to win the WTC, players need to play domestic cricket on challenging tracks. Otherwise, Test cricket success will continue to elude us.”
Scheduling Conflicts
However, things aren’t that easy for Kohli and Rohit when it comes to Ranji Trophy. India has a crammed international schedule starting with the white-ball series against England in February, then comes the Champions Trophy, and subsequently the IPL, leaving hardly any space for the domestic game, which makes cricketers pick rest over the Ranji outings. “
Kaif confessed to this reality as well:
The schedule is grueling for players, and they often prefer to have rest instead of playing domestic matches. Improvement in Test cricket becomes tough without practice on challenging tracks.”
India’s “White-Ball Bullies” Tag
Kaif’s remarks about India being “white-ball bullies” speak to a stark reality. Even though the team has performed extremely well in the limited-overs formats, its recent Test performances on tough overseas pitches highlight an obvious lacuna. Indian cricket needs focused preparation and participation in domestic cricket for adapting to seaming conditions.
The Border-Gavaskar Trophy defeat should be the wake-up call Indian cricket needs. Experts maintain that the strategy to improve Test cricket performance begins with strategic changes, including more weightage to domestic tournaments and practice matches. Balancing the need to keep a player’s workload in check with preparation for an event will prove essential as India looks to continue into the next cycle of the WTC.
As Ranji Trophy restarts on 23 January, the cricket fraternity will be anxiously waiting to see whether players like Kohli and Rohit take the field or opt to rest in preparation for India’s broader Test cricket aspirations.
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