Gavaskar pushes back against head coach Gambhir's 'Test team in transition' narrative: 'Focus on the standards'

The Shubman Gill-led Indian cricket team gained momentum after their historic one-off Test victory over Afghanistan on Monday. However, the scars of the home defeats to South Africa and New Zealand continue to haunt fans.

Before the match, head coach Gautam Gambhir insisted that the Indian red-ball unit is still in 'transition', a term often used to explain India’s recent struggles in the format. Sunil Gavaskar wants the team to stop using it as an excuse.

'Focus on the standards expected in Test cricket'

Speaking on JioStar's 'Cricket Live', Gavaskar highlighted that every Test team experiences changes, but the priority must remain on the performance benchmarks. He further highlighted that India's batting has been a bigger concern and wants the batters to show discipline in the game's longest format.

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"It's time to move away from constantly describing this team as being in transition and instead focus on the standards expected in Test cricket. Every team goes through retirements, changes in personnel, and periods of evolution, but ultimately the emphasis has to remain on performance.

"Looking back at some of India's recent Test results, the bigger concern has been the batting rather than the bowling. The bowling attack has generally done its job, but the batters need to show greater discipline and stronger technique, especially in challenging situations," Gavaskar said.

India secure biggest-ever victory in Tests

Manav Suthar broke multiple records in his debut outing as Team India registered its biggest-ever victory in Tests, defeating Afghanistan by an innings and 300 runs. The left-arm spinner put up a dazzling showcase, claiming a seven-wicket match haul.

The Afghan batters struggled against spin throughout the match and were eventually bowled out for 152 in the first innings, courtesy of Suthar's 6/33 spell. India enforced a follow-on on day three, but the visitors were bundled out for 112 in 35.5 overs.

The hosts' spin trap once again worked wonders as Washington Sundar claimed four scalps while Kuldeep picked up three dismissals in the second innings.