BCCI chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar entered the fray moments after India plummeted to their first-ever 0-3 whitewash at home since 1983/84 as New Zealand completed a 25-run win in the third and final Test of the series at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium. Agarkar, a Mumbai native, wasted no time as he walked onto the field and joined a discussion between Gautam Gambhir and assistant coach Abhishek Nayar. As the camera quickly captured the visuals, Agarkar engaged in a lengthy, tense chat with the India head coach, even as experts Anil Kumble and Simon Doull discussed the nuances of the outcome of this series.
In three weeks, India went from being serious WTC final contenders to suffering a whitewash at home. Sterner test awaits in Australia, where the team will play a five-match Test series for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy starting November 22. Surprisingly, the squad for the BGT that was announced two weeks back in the middle of the ongoing Test series against New Zealand, looks pretty much on similar lines with only minute changes here and there. And if this is the condition of India's batters on home pitches, the situation could get a lot worse Down Under.
Agarkar and Gambhir spoke at length for almost 15 minutes – possibly more – as it appeared on the screen. While on one half, visuals of Rohit Sharma's post-match press conference were being aired, Gambhir and Agarkar's discussion stole the spotlight. The two former India cricketers, teammates during the 2007 T20 World Cup, started off casually before the matter turned serious. As expected, both have plenty to answer following India's humiliation at home.
What Gautam Gambhir, Ajit Agarkar could be talking about
One of the key topics of the discussion promises to be around India's batting collapses and their inability to chase down achievable targets. But most importantly, the vulnerability of India's batters against spin needs to be addressed. Gone are the days when India would play out the best of spinners – Shane Warne, Muttiah Muralitharan and Saqlain Mushtaq with disdain, with the current batting order being limited to being a poor shadow of Team India's once-dominant self. As many as 37 Indian wickets fell to spin, and if Mitchell Santner did the damage in the second Test at Pune, Mumbai proved to be a hunting ground for Ajaz Patel, who starred in New Zealand's historic win with a match haul of 11 wickets.
{{/usCountry}}One of the key topics of the discussion promises to be around India's batting collapses and their inability to chase down achievable targets. But most importantly, the vulnerability of India's batters against spin needs to be addressed. Gone are the days when India would play out the best of spinners – Shane Warne, Muttiah Muralitharan and Saqlain Mushtaq with disdain, with the current batting order being limited to being a poor shadow of Team India's once-dominant self. As many as 37 Indian wickets fell to spin, and if Mitchell Santner did the damage in the second Test at Pune, Mumbai proved to be a hunting ground for Ajaz Patel, who starred in New Zealand's historic win with a match haul of 11 wickets.
{{/usCountry}}The Gautam Gambhir era in Indian cricket has started off more with a whimper than a bang. This is India's second embarrassing series defeat Gambhir took over, the first being a 0-3 defeat in Sri Lanka. For someone who is stepping into the shoes of Rahul Dravid and Ravi Shastri before him – two of India's most successful head coaches – Gambhir needs to arrest this slide before it gets too late.
India's home Test season couldn't have ended more dishearteningly. The Mumbai defeat means it's only the first time since 1969 that India have lost four Tests at home in a year – they lost the first Test to England in Hyderabad earlier in January 2024.