Former Indian captain Virat Kohli’s brother, Vikas Kohli, has made a strong and critical remark on Team India’s management during the second Test against South Africa in Guwahati. His comments came at a difficult time for Indian cricket. The hosts lost the second Test by 408 runs.
India had already lost the first Test of the two-match series in Kolkata by 30 runs. The pressure on the team and the management has increased after another poor performance at home. Fans are unhappy. Former players and experts are also questioning the team’s direction.
In a recent post on Threads, Vikas Kohli compared the current team with the past. He said that India once played to win even in foreign conditions. He added that now the team is struggling to save matches at home. He also blamed the management for making too many changes and disturbing a stable system.
“There was a time that we played to win even in overseas conditions. Now we are playing to save the match even in India. This is what happens when u try to boss around and change things unnecessary which were not broken,” Vikas wrote on Threads.
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This defeat will add to the worrying phase for the team. For many years, India were almost unbeatable at home. Their dominance in home Tests was one of the strongest in world cricket.
However, things have changed in recent times. Since Gautam Gambhir took over as head coach, India have lost four of their six home Tests. The biggest shock came in 2024 when India were whitewashed 0-3 by New Zealand at home. They also lost the Test series against South Africa. Their only home series wins in this period have come against the West Indies, where they won 2-0.
This poor run is in sharp contrast to the successful era under Virat Kohli’s captaincy. During his eight-year stint as Test captain, India lost only two home Tests. They won all 11 home Test series under his leadership.
India’s first home Test series defeat since 2012 came against New Zealand in 2024 under Rohit Sharma’s captaincy. Since then, criticism has grown around Gambhir’s selection choices and team strategies. Many feel that unnecessary chopping and changing has hurt team balance. Frequent changes in the batting order have added to the confusion. The preference for all-rounders over specialist players in Test cricket has also raised questions.
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