India’s dismal performance in the recently concluded Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT), where they lost 3-1 to Australia, has sparked widespread criticism from cricket legends. Former players like Harbhajan Singh, Sunil Gavaskar, and Irfan Pathan have raised serious concerns over team selection, senior players’ form, and the lack of domestic cricket participation, calling for immediate changes to revive India’s red-ball cricket fortunes.
Harbhajan Singh has been vocal about the Indian team management’s questionable decisions during the series, particularly regarding the team combination for the final Test in Sydney. The former off-spinner criticized the decision to play two spinners on a pace-friendly SCG pitch, which eventually contributed to India’s downfall.
“Why would you play two spinners on a grassy Sydney pitch where they barely bowled? This is not T20 cricket. Test cricket demands different strategies,” Harbhajan remarked on his YouTube channel.
His criticism came after India’s bowlers failed to defend a modest target of 162 runs in the fourth innings, with Jasprit Bumrah sidelined due to back spasms. The entire burden fell on pacers Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna, who couldn’t contain Australia’s batters.
The two spinning all-rounders in the squad, Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar, hardly bowled. Jadeja bowled only three overs, while Sundar delivered just one over. This decision, coupled with the poor form of senior batters Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, raised questions about the team’s approach.
Harbhajan also stressed that players should be selected based on current performances rather than reputation. He suggested that if senior players are to be retained for the upcoming England tour, they must play county cricket to get accustomed to the conditions.
“No player is bigger than the game. If you want to take senior players, ensure they play county cricket before the England series. The selection must be based on performance, not past glory,” Harbhajan added.
The failure of Indian stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma was a major talking point throughout the series. Kohli managed just 190 runs in eight innings at an average of 23.75, repeatedly falling to Australia’s Scott Boland, who dismissed him four times. Rohit fared even worse, scoring only 31 runs across three matches.
Their lack of impactful contributions at crucial moments left India vulnerable, leading to the team’s first series defeat against Australia in a decade. Harbhajan’s remarks were echoed by other former cricketers, who also questioned the duo’s continued place in the Test side.
Sunil Gavaskar and Irfan Pathan joined the chorus of criticism, highlighting the importance of domestic cricket for improving players’ technical skills. Both legends pointed out that India’s batters have repeatedly made the same mistakes, mainly due to a lack of match practice in tournaments like the Ranji Trophy.
Speaking on Star Sports, Gavaskar emphasized that technical flaws in batting have been evident since the New Zealand home series and continued into the BGT. “What I saw were technical deficiencies. If you’re making the same mistakes repeatedly, you’re not learning,” he said.
Gavaskar specifically criticized senior players like Kohli and Rohit for skipping domestic cricket, urging the selectors to take tough decisions. “The Ranji Trophy resumes on January 23. Let’s see how many players from this squad are available. If they don’t play those matches, they shouldn’t be part of the Test squad,” Gavaskar stated.
Pathan echoed similar sentiments, pointing out how legends like Sachin Tendulkar would play Ranji matches to stay in touch with the game’s longer format. “When was the last time Virat played domestic cricket? Even Tendulkar played Ranji when it wasn’t required, just to spend time on the pitch,” Pathan questioned.
Both Gavaskar and Pathan expressed concerns about Kohli’s recurring dismissals outside the off-stump. Pathan highlighted that Kohli wasn’t learning from his mistakes, which has contributed to his prolonged slump in Test cricket.
“You’re getting out to the same mistake again and again. There needs to be a gap between two mistakes. You need to fix those technical flaws,” Pathan said, suggesting that Kohli should seek advice from experienced figures like Gavaskar.
The duo also stressed that reputation should not guarantee a place in the team. Selection should be based on current form and commitment to Indian cricket, not on past achievements.