Is coach Gautam Gambhir’s fixation for all-rounders hurting India in Tests?

India’s shocking 30-run defeat to South Africa yesterday at the Eden Gardens yesterday has once again put the spotlight on the team selection and composition.

Chasing a lowly 124, India were bowled out for 93, with spinners Simon Harmer (4/21) and Keshav Maharaj (2/37) doing the damage. Though all-rounder Washington Sundar, who was pushed to no.3 slot in this Test, top-scored in the second innings with 31, head coach Gautam Gambhir and chief selector Ajit Agarkar have come under fire for team selection and strategies.

India went in with four all-rounders, and opted for Sundar instead of regular no. 3 batter Sai Sudharsan. Former India pacer Venkatesh Prasad slammed the team management for “selection without clarity and over-tactical approach”. Test great Cheteshwar Pujara, too, did not mince words, saying that “transition phase” cannot be the reason for losing at home.

India have lost four of their last six home Tests and nine of the 18 matches under Gambhir, including the historic 3-0 whitewash at home against New Zealand.

There has been a clear inclination to have more all-rounders in the team such as Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Shardul Thakur, to have more batting depth under coach Gambhir and captain Shubman Gill. It allows the team more breathing space in case of a top order collapse. Also, it gives the captain more bowling options in case the strike bowlers have an off day or session in the Test.

The flip side is that it deprives the team of a specialist batter or bowler, or two, whose skills might prove to be the difference between winning and losing. Jadeja has had a good year with the bat, scoring 670 runs in 14 innings so far, but his bowling has been far from phenomenal, picking up only 15 wickets at a high average of 50. Sundar and Patel, too, have put in some notable performances, with the former notching up his maiden century against England, but their inclusion at the expense of a wicket-taking spinner such as Kuldeep Yadav or a genuine pacer such as Mohammed Siraj has hurt India in the hindsight in the past. The defensive mindset, cricket experts say, has proved to be a hurdle in India’s quest to take 20 wickets in Tests consistently.

Former player and commentator Sanjay Manjrekar has argued that Test cricket needs specialists. For instance, Sudharsan was dropped despite have a good run at no. 3, including a crucial 87 against the West Indies in the Delhi Test. Former players such as R. Ashwin and Aakash Chopra strongly criticised the move, calling the no. 3 position a "game of musical chairs" and added that dropping Sudharsan after a promising knock would undermine his confidence and sense of security in the team.

Add to it, the axing of Sarfaraz Khan, who finally made his Test debut in 2024 after years of prolific domestic seasons. In his limited Test appearances, he averaged 37.10 with three fifties and one century (against New Zealand), but was still dropped ahead of the England series.

Gambhir defended the Indian team post the loss against the Proteas, and attributed the loss to the inexperience of the youngsters and inability to absorb pressure. But, fans and former players feel that the tactics which have worked for Gambhir in white-ball cricket, have not worked in Tests, and that the team management needs to rework its team selection and strategy in the longer format.