East India captain Anil Kumble has strongly criticized the instability in India’s Test batting lineup and attributed the recent disappointing performances to South Africa Like retirement and absence of key batsmen Virat Kohli,Rohit Sharma, And Cheteshwar PujaraKumble stressed that frequent changes in the top order and middle order have destabilized the team, impacting their confidence and ability to produce consistent innings at home,
Anil Kumble points to absence of players after India’s disappointing batting performance
Speaking to JioHotstar, Kumble revealed that over the years, there have been a lot of changes in the Indian Test top-order, with four of the five main batsmen either retiring, opting out, or being unavailable. These include the retirement of Kohli, Rohit and Pujara as well as the exit of Ajinkya Rahane from the team. Apart from this, captain and key batsman Shubman Gill has not been able to play the match due to a neck injury.
“The other aspect, you know, I want to bring this thing about India’s batting. In the last three or four years, you have seen four of the top five batsmen either retire or not get selected. You know, if that is the case, you know, Virat Kohli has retired, Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, then you have, of course… Rahane. So four of the five, plus Shubman Gill are not in this lineup,” Kumble said,
Kumble highlighted how this constant change and change disrupts the rhythm of players who require steady performances to become established in international cricket. He stressed that young batsmen need support over six to eight Test matches to find their form rather than being put under constant pressure and being dropped from the lineup repeatedly.
According to Kumble, this instability is largely responsible for India’s poor batting efforts and failure to withstand tough spells from bowlers like South Africa. marco jansonWho took advantage of India’s lack of patience and experimentation.
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Gautam Gambhir blames batsmen’s temperament and defends pitch after Kolkata Test
After India’s 30-run defeat to South Africa in the first Test in Kolkata, the head coach Gautam Gambhir Dismissed complaints about the pitch and instead openly criticized the temperament of the Indian batsmen. He said India’s score of 93 in the second innings was largely achievable and blamed the defeat on poor mental strength and inability to build partnerships. Gambhir’s stance contrasted with some spectators’ concerns about the state of the game, as he said the pitch was fair and required more application from the batsmen to meet the challenges. This is in line with comments made by Kumble on the need for more patience and fortitude in the batting approach. Both experts highlighted the collective failure of the Indian batting order under pressure, underscoring how the lack of consistency in selection compounds the problem.
These comments come as India are on the verge of losing another home Test series against South Africa, raising questions over the direction of team selection and player development. The absence of experienced players and inconsistent lineups has clearly led to a fragile batting structure that struggles to cope with a quality bowling attack at crucial moments.
