"Selections without clarity and over-tactical thinking. Ind not a top test side" - Venky Prasad slams Gambhir

[The Realist]

Venkatesh Prasad feels India doesn't deserve to be called a top Test team

 

• Played just four specialist batters
• But selected four spinners in the 11 
• Playing too many all-rounders at the expense of specialists
• Only beaten Bang and West Indies at home
• Been poor v Aus & Eng
• Now lost to SA at home

 

Edited November 17, 2025 by The Realist

[kosingh]

What does over tactical thinking mean? I see a lack of tactics or thinking...

[tweaker]

More senior cricketers should talk  about the loss.

They should discuss about the tactics,team selection etc.

[Lord]

2 minutes ago, tweaker said:

More senior cricketers should talk  about the loss.

They should discuss about the tactics,team selection etc.

 

 

[Manucrick]

1 hour ago, Lord said:

 

 

Those losses hurts pujara more than  any others seniors because we won lots of matches at home because of him 

[Gollum]

Last 1 year

 

[BCCISelector]

4 hours ago, kosingh said:

What does over tactical thinking mean? I see a lack of tactics or thinking...

Gambhir's tactics are just playing multiple allrounders for artificial batting + bowling depth, left-right combination, using only SLAs if right handers are batting, etc.

[vvvslaxman]

1 hour ago, BCCISelector said:

Gambhir's tactics are just playing multiple allrounders for artificial batting + bowling depth, left-right combination, using only SLAs if right handers are batting, etc.

 

First test stats

 

off spinners -  33.2 overs 9 wickets avge 6.22

 

left arm finger spinners -  73 overs  9 wickets average 25

 

 

[bowl_out]

4 hours ago, vvvslaxman said:

 

First test stats

 

off spinners -  33.2 overs 9 wickets avge 6.22

 

left arm finger spinners -  73 overs  9 wickets average 25

 

 

Yet Washi bowled one over?

[express bowling]

1. 10 players selected themselves. Only one selection ... Axar ahead of Sai .... can be questioned.  But Sai is not at a stage where he is expected to score on such a tough pitch.

 

2. Not bowling Washington was a poor decision.

 

Venky not being objective here.

 

The real reasons for this loss are 1)  poor batting against spin  2) preparing such a shitty pitch when flat tracks are our strong point.

Edited November 17, 2025 by express bowling

[Gollum]

All our ex-cricketers talk beautifully, backed by logic, in Team India's best interests. But the minute they get a decision making role in BCCI.......I mean look at Agarkar. 

[Gollum]

Just now, express bowling said:

1. 10 players selected themselves. Only one selection ... Axar ahead of Sai .... can be questioned.  But Sai is not at a stage where he is expected to score on such a tough pitch.

 

2. Not bowling Washington was a poor decision.

 

Venky not being objective here.

 

The real reason for this loss is poor batting against spin.

We were never in the game in a run chase of 123. That is why so much talk about the pitch is deflecting deeper rooted problems. Gill wasn't there , but still we had 7 other batting options. Also why no improvement in batting of bottom 3, it is a disgrace watching Kuldeep bat or field, and he isn't going to bowl dream spells every match. RSA had Bosch and Harmer add some vital runs in the end, why do our bowlers not feel the need to contribute anything apart from their primary skill? 

[putrevus]

Venky is 100 right correct bits and pieces players never win test matches.

 

Guy like Jurel has no place as batsman, only one among Axar and Washington has a place. TM can decide which spinner they want but they have to stop selecting bowlers because they can bat not becuase they can take wicket.

 

Which idiot selects backup keeper as a batsman. India never lacked batting talent that they need to select guy like Jurel over all other deserving battting talents.

 

 

Pant himself does not get selected as batsman alone where does it leaves guy like Jurel.

Edited November 17, 2025 by putrevus

[Gollum]

Schedule for this series was out in advance. We all knew how tough this RSA challenge was going to be, no one becomes WTC champion just like that, beating Australia in Lord's in an ICC final is probably the toughest task in cricket. After the NZ whitewash, there was always a real possibility of getting blanked again.

 

Where was our planning? How did we prepare for this series? Till 5 days before coin toss, 4 of our 1st XI players including captain, were doing God knows what in T20s in Australia (even hosts treated that series as time pass), 5 time zones apart. And then the captain abandons ship over a spasm?

 

After the good work in Eng, a 2-0 win here would have put us in pole position for WTC F spot. Now, not only have we lost a chance at winning a series against the world champs, we have to do something miraculous in NZ next year to revive WTC F hopes.  

[putrevus]

India should have beaten RSA with ease if team had two extra batsmen. SA is putrid team, let us not overhype this putrid SA team.

 

 

Smith led great teams had hard time beating India in India.  India beat themselves with useless team selections.

[vvvslaxman]

7 hours ago, BCCISelector said:

Gambhir's tactics are just playing multiple allrounders for artificial batting + bowling depth, left-right combination, using only SLAs if right handers are batting, etc.

 

You have to strike a balanace. You can't go with 5 specialist bowlers either. We will be getting all out 50 runs more often than not. All rounders are fine. As a matter of fact only guy who got hold of the pitch in both innings was Sundar. Kela did fine in first innings. 2 all rounders were working fine in England. Axar patel was the needless addition. IN the first innings he was thrashed around when he bowled in the first 10 overs. SA was 57/0 in 10 then added mere 102. Imagine they were only 30/0. Axar leaked runs. Similarly in the third day he was used ahead of others. Looked toothless on a turning wicket. They added 60 runs.  His batting has a ceiling. He is not close to almost a pedigree batsman like Sundar. It is impossible to find a guy with extreme temperament like Sundar.  He can score a quick 50 or stoutly defend for 4 hours. 

[Gollum]

22 minutes ago, putrevus said:

India should have beaten RSA with ease if team had two extra batsmen. SA is putrid team, let us not overhype this putrid SA team.

 

 

Smith led great teams had hard time beating India in India.  India beat themselves with useless team selections.

Nope, RSA is a great team. Unique strengths which no other team has, like batting all the way to number 11, clutch batsmen who score tough runs, awesome 4th innings record, best catching efficiency, quality bowling attack with a GOAT contender in Rabada, and their 2 greatest spinners ever in Maharaj and Harmer. Also very well led by Bavuma, a Frank Worrell like character for them. Worrell was the 1st black captain for WI, someone who united all the islands to fight for a common cause, known more than just for his sporting achievements. 

 

I think India of 2015-19 were better, and also full strength peak Aussies of 5 years back. But that doesn't mean RSA is bad, just like NZ, they are better than sum of their parts.

 

Coming to Smith's team, their best spinner was Paul Harris. One man bowling attack in SC basically. Main problem with earlier RSA teams was how divided they were, Look at the racism controversy which blew up few years back, how badly guys like Ntini, Prince, Duminy were treated by the white players. A divided team like that can never become world champion in anything. Under Bavuma and their new coach, they are a strong, united team....also having gotten rid of toxic characters and racists like de Kock, Elgar. Remaining members play like a team. 

Edited November 17, 2025 by Gollum

[rtmohanlal]

 preparing a spinning pitch and  then playing 4 spin bowling all rounders(Kuldeep included).This is as dumb as it can get. Ideally Jadeja should have been  played as a specialist  bat at 6  followed by WK  and then 2 spinners.The first 5 should have been specialist batsmen on a spinning pitch . 

Again , the ability of batsmen in playing spin has regressed a lot  in general .

 

Allowing KL Rahul to still play  tests is a selection  incompetency  in itself . Averaging  36 even after playing 66 tests  that too while a lot of  promising youngsters are denied of their deserving chances.

Edited November 17, 2025 by rtmohanlal

[putrevus]

6 minutes ago, Gollum said:

Nope, RSA is a great team. Unique strengths which no other team has, like batting all the way to number 11, clutch batsmen who score tough runs, awesome 4th innings record, best catching efficiency, quality bowling attack with a GOAT contender in Rabada, and their 2 greatest spinners ever in Maharaj and Harmer. Also very well led by Bavuma, a Frank Worrell like character for them. Worrell was the 1st black captain for WI, someone who united all the islands to fight for a common cause, known more than just for his sporting achievements. 

 

I think India of 2015-19 were better, and also full strength peak Aussies of 5 years back. But that doesn't mean RSA is bad, just like NZ, they are better than sum of their parts.

 

Coming to Smith's team, their best spinner was Paul Harris. One man bowling attack basically. Main problem with earlier RSA teams was how divided they were, Look at the racism controversy which blew up few years back, how badly guys like Ntini, Prince, Duminy were treated by the white players. A divided team like that can never become world champion in anything. Under Bavuma and their new coach, they are a strong, united team....also having gotten rid of toxic characters and racists like de Kock, Elgar. Remaining members play like a team. 

I disagree, they are a putrid team which has been made to look good by Indian team's idiotic selections.

 

Winning two test matches ( ICC test final included) does not make them a great team.It was Indian collpase which got them into finals or they had no chance to even play finals.

 

Stop putting Bavuma into same sentence as Worrell, Worrell was a great batsman first.

 

Smith's teams beat everyone home and away except India .

 

Rabada did not play here.He is the only great player in this SA team.

[Gollum]

 

Some may call these things a coincidence or underplay them. But especially after the publicized CSA racism hearings, in a country with apartheid history, I think there was always tension between their white players and coloured/black ones. Even if not direct, there were groupings based on skin colour, mistrust, silent treatment etc. You just have to look at statements, gestures by guys like ABDV, Faf, Kock, Elgar to see that they don't even understand or acknowledge racial issues in their country. @rollingstoned @New guy @Lone Wolf @Lord Not even talking about their old players like Symcox, Dippenaar, Boucher. Kallis was once embroiled in a controversy over refusing to sing their national anthem and when questioned he didn't express any regret, some white South Africans hate their post apartheid anthem for obvious reasons. I remember seeing videos from 2010 FIFA WC where many white RSA fans would openly express their support for opponent teams, RSA football team (Bafana Bafana) is black dominated because for long, entry of blacks in other sports was blocked/restricted. Racism is a bigger issue with Afrikaaners (Dutch origin). 

 

Bavuma and Shukri Conrad have transformed RSA cricket completely in this respect, a united team now greater than sum of its parts.

Edited November 17, 2025 by Gollum