Former India Test captain Ajinkya Rahane has voiced concerns over the Indian team's recent struggles in red-ball cricket under coach Gautam Gambhir. Rahane stressed the importance of character, resilience, and experienced leaders, arguing that the phasing out of senior players is a key issue behind the team's decline.
Former India Test captain Ajinkya Rahane, who recently retired from his cricket career, has appeared to have a strong message for the head coach, Gautam Gambhir, on the declining role of veteran players in the red-ball squad.
Ajinkya Rahane was part of India's golden era in Test cricket, during which the team won 18 consecutive home Test series and retained the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia in 2020-21 after winning it in 2018-19. At home, India’s Test side, under Virat Kohli’s leadership, was virtually unbeatable, extending record home dominance that made winning in India the ultimate challenge in world cricket.
However, under the guidance of Gautam Gambhir, the Indian Test team has experienced a shift in strategy and form, facing unprecedented struggles and rare series defeats on home soil, especially a series whitewash at the hands of New Zealand and South Africa, that have sparked intense debate over squad selection and the phasing out of senior leadership.
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Rahane Gives Subtle Message to Gambhir
As Ajinkya Rahane fell out of favour with the selectors after his last Test appearance against the West Indies in July 2023, the now-retired cricketer has closely followed India's fortunes from the sidelines. Reflecting on the team’s struggles in the longest format, Rahane stressed that Test cricket needs resilience, patience and experienced leaders, which was viewed as a subtle remark to Gautam Gambhir.
“Because I haven’t been playing Test cricket for the last two years, I’ve been sitting at home, watching the Indian team lose matches even in India as well. I think Test cricket needs character. You need to build such characters and play competitive cricket. That’s what’s important,” the 38-year-old said on the ‘Stick to Cricket’ podcast.
“Playing session out. You don’t see many teams do that. I don’t want to pinpoint any team, but you want to see people play out those tough sessions.
“I have played with him [Gambhir]. I was not with KKR when he was the coach. I never played under him when he was the coach. We played together when we came here [in England], and even in India. But I feel Test cricket is always about playing sessions, seeing out tough moments,” he added.
Playing alongside Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, and Jasprit Bumrah, Ajinkya Rahane was part of a core group of experienced cricketers that formed the backbone of India's Test success for nearly a decade. Amassing over 5000 Test runs, the former India captain remains one of India's most accomplished batters in the longest format.
‘Respect The Senior Players’
Over the past year, the likes of Ravichandran Ashwin, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, and now Ajinkya Rahane have stepped away from the red-ball format. Now India’s current Test squad has only four players- Ravindra Jadeja, KL Rahul, Jasprit Bumrah, and Rishabh Pant- who have played 50 or more Tests.
Rahane emphasised the need to have senior players at the core of the Test setup, arguing that experience and leadership are vital for maintaining stability and helping younger cricketers develop in the longest format. He also argued that having a balance of senior and young players in the squad is essential for sustained success in Test cricket, warning against an abrupt transition.
“Test cricket fans are actual cricket lovers. What we built apart from the last two years, when new players came in Test cricket, I still feel Test cricket needs 7-8 senior players and 2-3 younger players. What we are seeing now is that all the players are actually new. There’s hardly any senior cricketer left. So, Test cricket needs that,” the former India captain said.
“Frankly, yes, I do (fear for Test cricket). Because the way it is going, we all want Test cricket to survive, to be there, India, England, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa. These 4-5 teams especially. Because what I have seen in the last 2-3 years, you need to keep and respect the senior players, especially because with the Indian team, all the senior players going out together at once, that’s been the issue,” he added.
Meanwhile, Team India will return to red-ball assignment in the upcoming Test series against Sri Lanka. The Sri Lanka Tests are crucial for the Shubman Gill-led side as they look to revive their World Test Championship campaign after a disappointing run in the format and strengthen their chances of qualifying for the WTC final.
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