Gautam Gambhir's 'Transition' Narrative Rejected As Ex-India Star Namedrops Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli
Speaking on India's loss to South Africa in the 1st Test, the former cricketer claimed that the "transition" narrative has no place in the Indian team.
- Former cricketer Manoj Tiwary claimed that the "transition" narrative has no place in the Indian team
- He also blamed the team management for forcing Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to retire from Test cricket
- "This whole 'transition phase' talk-I don't agree with it. India doesn't need a transition," said Tiwary
Former India batter Manoj Tiwary has blamed the team management for forcing stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to retire from Test cricket. The former Bengal captain said that a "transition" narrative was created to make sure that Rohit and Kohli did not stick around for long, adding that the two wanted to continue playing. The duo retired from the longest format of the game in May 2025, weeks ahead of India's Test tour of England. Speaking on India's loss to South Africa in the 1st Test, Tiwary claimed that the "transition" narrative has no place in the Indian team, considering the number of players waiting for an opportunity.
"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," Tiwary told India Today.
Tiwary also blasted head coach Gautam Gambhir for throwing the batters under the bus following the collapse in the chase.
"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.
Following the loss in Kolkata, India dropped down to the fourth spot after conceding their third loss in the ongoing World Test Championship (WTC) cycle.
The defending champions South Africa, on the other hand, rose to the second spot in the nine-team standings.
India Cricket Team
South Africa Cricket Team
Gautam Gambhir
Manoj Tiwary
Virat Kohli
Rohit Sharma