Open Letter to India head coach Gautam Gambhir and BCCI

India lost to Australia by 184 runs in the fourth Test against Australia in Melbourne, handing the hosts a 1-2 lead in the five-match Border-Gavaskar Series trophy

gautam-gambhir Gautam Gambhir | via X

Dear coach Gautam Gambhir and the esteemed members of the BCCI,

I write to you as a passionate follower of Indian cricket, deeply invested in the highs and lows of our team’s journey. In recent months, our performance in Test cricket has been a cause for concern, and I feel compelled to share my thoughts on what I see as a critical issue affecting our prospects.

Let me begin by acknowledging the tireless efforts of every individual behind the scenes – from coaches to support staff – who work relentlessly to elevate the players' performance. However, I believe it is time to confront an uncomfortable truth: we seem to have shifted our focus away from nurturing specialists in favour of all-rounders, which is having a detrimental impact on the team.

In the bowling department, apart from the ever-reliable Jasprit Bumrah, our strategy seems heavily skewed towards selecting all-rounders. The expectation that all-rounders can consistently take 20 wickets in a Test match is, frankly, unrealistic. This approach may suffice for limited-overs formats like ODIs or T20s, where bowlers need to manage a few overs and contribute with the bat to maintain the flow of runs. But Test cricket demands something far more substantial – the precision, skill, and stamina of specialist bowlers who can shoulder the responsibility of dismantling the opposition.

It is disheartening to witness how we have sidelined talented specialists. Take Ravichandran Ashwin, for instance – a bowler of unparalleled skill and proven match-winning ability. The narrative that he is not a competent enough batsman to merit selection is both baffling and condemnable. Ashwin, sensing his diminishing importance in the current scheme of things, has quietly stepped away, a loss we can ill afford.

The fate of other gifted bowlers such as Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, and Varun Chakravarthy further illustrates this misguided thinking. They have been cast aside, seemingly because their batting abilities are deemed insufficient, even though their primary role is to take wickets. This line of reasoning undermines the very essence of Test cricket, where the primary objective is to dismiss the opposition twice in five days.

If we persist with this approach, we risk a scenario where the top order can conveniently blame all-rounders for failures, and the all-rounders, in turn, rely on Bumrah to carry the burden of wicket-taking. This lack of accountability and reliance on a single individual is unsustainable and detrimental to the team’s long-term success.

The upcoming final Test match in Australia presents a pivotal opportunity. A victory could salvage the series, keep our hopes alive for the World Test Championship final, and reignite belief in our team’s capabilities. But for this to happen, the think tank must act decisively and wisely. We need a team that prioritises specialist skills, particularly in the bowling department.

Let us remember that Test cricket is a battle of endurance and strategy. It demands specialist bowlers who can exploit conditions, adapt to challenges, and take the 20 wickets required to secure victory. The current trend of compromising on bowling depth in favour of batting versatility must be re-evaluated.

Our team’s legacy is built on the contributions of players who excelled in their specific domains – be it Sunil Gavaskar’s technical brilliance, Anil Kumble’s unrelenting spin, or Zaheer Khan’s seam wizardry. It is time to honour this tradition by fostering a culture that values and nurtures specialists in every discipline.

I urge you to reflect deeply on this matter and take corrective action before it’s too late. The hopes and aspirations of millions of fans rest on your decisions.

With respect and hope,

G.Venkatakuppuswamy

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