The victory in the hearts of Indian cricket lovers is the ointment that forgets every injury. India draws the 5-match Test series 2-2 with a thrilling win by 6 runs in the Oval Test. This result of the last match saluted the spirit of Team India and created an atmosphere of celebration in the cricket world.
During the England series, from a 336-run win in Edgbaston, the high-scoring draw at Old Trafford and then a thrilling victory on the power of fast bowler Mohammad Siraj and famous Krishna at the Oval … Team India made a backyard several times in this tour.
Under the captaincy of Shubman Gill, the team showed a full -fledged game, but among the achievements there are some questions which cannot be ignored. In July last year, Gautam Gambhir took over as the head coach of India in place of Rahul Dravid. Since then, India achieved many achievements in white-ball cricket. Winning the Champions Trophy earlier this year and winning the T20 format continuously.
𝗕𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗳. 𝗔𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. 𝗝𝘂𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻!
Raw emotions straight after #Teamindia‘S SPECIAL WIN at the Kennington Oval 🔝#ENGVIND pic.twitter.com/vhrfv8ditl
– BCCI (@Bcci) August 4, 2025
But talking about Test cricket, India saw its worst phase during Gambhir’s tenure. A embarrassing defeat of 0-3 by New Zealand on domestic land and then a 1-3 defeat in Australia gave a deep blow to India’s credibility in Test cricket. For the first time in 8 years, the Border-Gavaskar Trophy slipped from India’s grip.
… when BCCI took some strict steps
In view of this decline of the Indian Test team, the BCCI took some strict measures- it was made mandatory for senior players to play domestic cricket, private visits were banned and the presence of family members was limited during the tour.
The pressure on experienced players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli also showed clearly and finally he has also bid farewell to Test cricket after retiring from T20 a year ago.
But in this era of this turmoil, Gambhir and his chosen colleague- Assistant Coach Ryan Ten Dochet and bowling coach Morn Morkel were almost survived by criticism and action. Yes, an assistant coach Abhishek Nair was removed in April with fielding coach T Dileep, although Dileep was restored for the tour of England.
In such a situation, it would not be wrong to say that Gambhir may get credit in India’s bravery in England, but the responsibility of many big mistakes of the team is also related to them, because those decisions were not possible without them.
…. questions were raised on the selection policy
During the entire tour, questions were raised on India’s selection policy. The biggest debate became the subject of the debate. Do not give Kuldeep Yadav a chance in a single Test, while many former veterans were constantly raising their voice in his favor.
On the other hand, left -handed batsman and spin all -rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar were continuously fed, especially when Sundar was included in the Edgbaston Test. But in the Oval Test, the two together put only 10 overs, which raises the question whether they were kept in the team only as a batsman?
Similarly, debuting Anshul Kamboj in the Manchester Test was also a controversial decision, especially when India was behind 1-2 and a strong bowling in the match was needed.
Comboj has possibilities, he has done well in IPL and domestic cricket, but he was seen faded in front of England’s 669 runs in Old Trafford. All -rounder Shardul Thakur could neither be able to do anything special with the bat in the first and fourth Tests, nor could leave more impact with the ball.
Curator’s verbal war- negative coaching style?
Gambhir took a defensive stance several times in the press conference and got entangled with the curator in the war of words before the last Test at the Oval deepened the negative perception about his coaching style.
After Abhishek Nair’s farewell in April, it is now likely that BCCI may also consider the removal of assistant coach Ten Doshet and bowling coach Morkel. According to reports, preparations are being made to add new faces to the team’s associate staff before the domestic Test season.
Serious period – 3 wins in 13 Test matches
The victory in the Oval may have given time to Gautam Gambhir, but the figures are still disappointing. This was his only third win in the last 13 matches as a Test coach. India managed to win- not because of strategic skills, but because the players performed well when the expectation was almost over.
Will Team India’s new floor remain a draw?
Mohammad Siraj was continuously removed and tired. Jasprit Bumrah cannot play more than three matches in the Test series. Spinners like Kuldeep Yadav are unable to make a place in the playing XI and Abhimanyu Ishwar is not being given a chance to debut by keeping it in the squad repeatedly.
Jeet in Oval may have saved the coaching chair of Gautam Gambhir, but as a red-ball coach, he remains a serious question on his thinking and strategy. How long will he continue to select T20 -style teams, where an uncertain batting depth is given priority instead of the ability to take 20 wickets in Test cricket?
Has to avoid follow -on and draw a series has now become a limit to India’s ambitions? Or is this team entitled to the victories that can really achieve its talent?
Are the ambitions of Indian cricket limited to just to save follows and draw the Test series? Or this team should fight for the victories that they really entitled on the strength of their talent? India cannot take the risk of missing another World Test Championship final.
India’s bravery in England is celebrated, but under the guise of the same celebration, it should not be forgotten that this series could have turned into India’s victory with better management.
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