Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) head coach Justin Langer has given a blunt statement on whether the dominance of the Indian national cricket team in domestic Tests has ended.
Justin Langer bluntly said that the Indian national cricket team’s domestic dominance will never end as the country has exceptionally talented cricketers.
India lost 4 out of last 6 home tests
Before the appointment of Gautam Gambhir as the head coach of the team, Team India was unbeatable in domestic Test matches. They played exceptional cricket on home soil and did not lose a series for over a decade.
Many teams toured India during that phase, but the host team defeated them brutally and they could not defeat the home team. However, this changed in late 2024 when New Zealand made a historic clean sweep over India.
This was extremely humiliating for Team India as they suffered a 0-3 defeat at home in Test cricket for the first time in history and faced heavy criticism from fans and experts.
They recently made a comeback by defeating West Indies 2-0 in the home Test series, but again lost a crucial Test match against the South Africa national cricket team.
The Shubman Gill-led side suffered an embarrassing 30-run defeat against the Proteas after creating an extremely bowling-friendly track at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
I would never say that, India has a lot of talent – Justin Langer
Meanwhile, Justin Langer has said that India’s domestic dominance will always continue and the recent defeat can be attributed to the exposure foreign players are getting in the country by playing the Indian Premier League (IPL).
“Anyone who suggests this is the end of (home dominance) in this country is a braver person than me because I would never say that, there is too much talent in India,” Langer told TOI.
“The biggest highlight of my career was beating India in that 2004 series because it always seemed impossible to beat India in India. That was the Mount Everest moment of our career. So it’s really interesting, isn’t it, that we are seeing a bit of a change with visiting teams beating India in India? Maybe it’s because some other countries and their players are also playing in the IPL,” Nivicap brand ambassador Langer said here on Monday.
India have some very good players in the team and they will be disappointed – Justin Langer
Justin Langer further said that after losing the first match of the Test series, the host team will be disappointed and will try to make a comeback in the next game.
“Remember, some of the Indian players recently came from Australia (white-ball series, which ended on November 8), where it is the opposite. And a few days later, they are playing in really tough conditions in Kolkata. India have some very good players in that team and they will be disappointed and try to fight back in the next Test.”
Talking about the Ashes, Justin Langer said Joe Root will not be under pressure in the series to score his maiden century in Australia. He said:
“Root has scored more Test runs than anyone in the history of English cricket. He is a superstar. Yes, at the moment he has not scored a Test century (in Australia). Will he be able to do it in the next five Test matches? Only time will tell… But, there is no pressure on him (to score the elusive century).”
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