Transition phase talk is nonsense: Gambhir attacked for pushing Rohit, Kohli out of Tests — 'They wanted to save…'

A former player claimed that the “transition” narrative pressured Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to retire from Test cricket.

Former India batter Cheteshwar Pujara, who retired from international cricket four months ago, had rejected the “transition phase” as an excuse for the team’s batting collapse on the challenging Eden Gardens track, which led to a 30-run loss against South Africa. On Wednesday, the debate reignited as former batter Manoj Tiwary made another explosive statement, claiming that this very narrative had pressured senior players Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to step back from Test cricket, despite their willingness to continue.

Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma retired from Tests in May 2025

Speaking to India Today, Tiwary argued that the “transition” narrative has no place in Indian cricket, given the wealth of talent in the domestic circuit ready to step in when the time comes. He added that such talk around “transition” pressured Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to step away from Test cricket, despite their willingness to continue in the format.

“This whole “transition phase” talk—I don’t agree with it. India doesn’t need a transition. New Zealand or Zimbabwe need transition. Our domestic cricket is full of talented performers waiting for chances. Because of this unnecessary transition, our star players—like Virat and Rohit—who wanted to keep playing Test cricket and protect its sanctity, slowly stepped back because of the atmosphere created around them,” he said.

Rohit and Kohli retired from Test cricket in May of this year, just five days apart. The two announcements that shook Indian cricket came just weeks before India's all-important tour of England, for which Shubman Gill was named as the new captain.

Tiwary also lashed out at Gambhir, who had blamed the batters for the loss to South Africa. The veteran argued that, as a skilled player of spin himself, Gambhir should have guided the team better, and their failure reflects his shortcoming in adequately preparing them.

“You cannot blame players' technique after losing. As a coach, your job is to teach, not to blame. If the batters didn’t have solid defence, why weren’t they trained before the match? When he played, Gambhir himself was a good player of spin, so he should teach more. The results aren’t in India’s favour,” he added.

Having lost the opener against the reigning World Test champions, India will aim to draw the series in Guwahati and deny South Africa their second-ever Test series win on Indian soil. The final game will get underway at the Barsapara Stadium, starting November 22.