India’s remarkable 12-year long unbeaten streak in home Test series has now been disrupted by two whitewashes in the span of just one year. India first lost against New Zealand by 0-3 in November 2024 and now South Africa jolted India on their home soil and India again lost by 0-2.
Since, the Indian Team is clearly facing struggles in the Test format – Gautam Gambhir addressed the issue in press conference after losing against South Africa. He the mentioned that he wasn’t offering any excuses and he highlighted a few factors that have impacted India in Tests. Gambhir particulary mentioned about “transition phase.”
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“I don’t give excuses. I’ve never done that in the past. I will never do it in the future…Test cricket is never easy when you’re playing against a top-quality side. So you’ve got to give them time as well. So for me, I think that is something they’ll keep learning. That is important. Because I know that I hate using this word transition. This is exactly what transition is,”
But his remark did not sit well with former India cricketer Venkatesh Prasad and he openly criticised Gambhir for using transition as a shield for tactical failures.
“We cannot hide under the garb of transition. Barring Sudarshan, Jurel and Reddy, most of the guys have been around for 7-8 years. Some very experienced campaigners. This is a series of tactical errors , obsession with playing all-rounders and not wanting to learn from mistakes. Embarrassing,” he wrote.
We cannot hide under the garb of transition.
— Venkatesh Prasad (@venkateshprasad) November 26, 2025
Barring Sudarshan, Jurel and Reddy, most of the guys have been around for 7-8 years. Some very experienced campaigners. This is a series of tactical errors , obsession with playing all-rounders and not wanting to learn from mistakes.…
India will next play two Tests against Sri Lanka next year in August then the team will be visiting New Zealand in October-November 2026 and then and a five-match home showdown against Australia in early 2027 to cap off their WTC campaign.
