With India inching closer to what could be their second home Test series whitewash in a year, Virat Kohli’s brother, Vikas, launched a scathing attack on head coach Gautam Gambhir and the Ajit Agarkar-led selection panel, accusing them of overseeing a dramatic slump in a format the team once controlled with authority. His comments later deleted emerged shortly after India lost two early wickets while chasing 549 on Day 4 in Guwahati, another crushing defeat all but certain.
Between December 2012 and October 2024, India did not lose a single home Test series-a golden period feted as one of the most dominant eras in cricket history. The bedrock of that golden run was laid during Kohli’s term, which he passed on to Rohit Sharma in early 2022. Not only were they invincible at home, but Kohli’s team also emerged as one of the most respected touring outfits, famously pulling off back-to-back Border-Gavaskar wins in Australia.
On Threads, Vikas drew a sharp contrast between what has been and what is, lamenting how a team that was earlier striving to excel in foreign conditions was now failing to assert itself even on home soil. He also seemed to blame the BCCI, hinting that the team’s fall started with “unnecessary” and inflexible decisions. In another tweet that went viral online, he said Rohit and Kohli were not dropped from Test cricket on their own but were asked to make way.
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“There was a time that we played to win even in overseas conditions…. Now we are playing to save the match….even in india.. This is what happens when u try to boss around and change things unnecessary which were not broken….,” Vikas wrote but later deleted.
Vikas also drew a comparison between India’s approach and that of South Africa. He believed that the Proteas stuck to picking a proper Test team, while India dropped their seniors, filled their XI with all-rounders and even sent in Washington Sundar as high as No. 3. He was optimistic about an unlikely comeback on the fifth day in Guwahati but maintained that someone needs to be held accountable for this situation.
“So lets break it down: Team India strategy: remove senior experienced players. Remove proper 3/4/5 batmen. Play bowler at no 3. Use all allrounders…….
SOUTH AFRICA STRATEGY: Play proper test match team: Specialist openers, Specialist no 3/4/5/6 batters, Specialist spinners, Specialist fast bowlers and maybe 1 all rounder …
Though I really want team India to win but questions needs to be asked now… WHO IS RESPONSIBLE???”
India now risk a second home Test series whitewash in four series since Gambhir took over as coach last July. His tenure had started promisingly with a victory over Bangladesh in September, but soon India lost at home to New Zealand and then gave up the Border–Gavaskar Trophy to Australia. Those losses ruled India out of competition for a place in the 2023-25 World Test Championship final. After the retirements of Kohli, Rohit and Ravichandran Ashwin, a Shubman Gill-led India came away with a 2–2 draw in England – though many critics felt the weakened Ben Stokes side should have been beaten. A home series victory over West Indies briefly suggested the team was back on track. But South Africa’s dominant display has provided the reality check to underline how much work is still needed in India’s new era.
