"You Don't Have Batters Like Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman": Kapil Dev's Reality Check For Gautam Gambhir's India

India's recent 2-0 series loss to South Africa has put question marks on several aspects: on whether Gautam Gambhir should continue as India's Test coach, on Indian batters' ability to play spin, and on whether the transition after Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Ravichandran Ashwin is on the right track or not. In the midst of the discussion, 1983 World Cup-winning captain Kapil Dev has given a blunt reality check to India.

"We are more occupied with T20s and ODIs, which means the batters hardly encounter bowler-friendly pitches. On surfaces offering a lot of help to spin and seam, you need patience and a different set of skills to thrive. Once you are ready to play on those pitches, your mindset affects how you tackle them. You do not have batters like Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman, who knew how to stay at the wicket. Batting in Tests is about staying in the middle," Kapil told Sportstar.

"You need better skills to tackle spin than to play pace, but it depends on the state of the pitch. If the turn or bounce is vicious, it becomes very difficult. Remember, footwork plays an important role. If your temperament is to go and hit like Rishabh Pant, it is different. You cannot ask Pant to defend. He is a genuine match-winner. He will go and hit the ball. He is not going to bat 100 balls to make 20. When he hits a six, we all go gaga. Do you tell him not to hit them? He is a batter who can demolish the opposition."

A clueless Indian team, which seemed lacking in both skills and resolve, succumbed to its biggest defeat in terms of runs, losing the second Test to South Africa by a whopping margin of 408 on Wednesday, giving the visitors their first series triumph in the country in 25 years. This was the second time in the space of just 13 months that India ended up whitewashed at home, severely denting their chances of qualifying for the World Test Championship final.

Under head coach Gautam Gambhir, India have now lost five Tests against New Zealand and South Africa at home.

A chase of 549 was never possible, but what one expected was a semblance of fight, which wasn't there on a day-five Indian track presenting itself in all its might, where the ball bounced like a hissing snake and turned as if on a hairpin Himalayan bend.

Marco Jansen, who played the perfect all-rounder in this Test match, took a one-handed stunner to skittle India for 140 in 63.5 overs and give the Temba Bavuma-led side a victory to cherish for a long time.

"It's a little disappointing. As a team we need to get better. We need to give credit to the opposition. They dominated the series but at the same time, you can't take cricket for granted (because of playing at home)," said a downcast India skipper Rishabh Pant in the post-match presentation, trying to make sense of his team's recent home record.

Topics mentioned in this article

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