If India does not win the Boxing Day Test against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground starting Saturday, it will be the first time in 88 years that it will end a year without registering a single Test victory in a year. The Boxing Day test will be India’s fourth of the year – they went blank 0-2 in New Zealand earlier this year in February and were beaten by Australia in Adelaide.
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Former opening batsman Gautam Gambhir, who was part of the team when India reached the pinnacle of ICC Test rankings in 2009, believes that the reason India is in trouble is due to the constant cuts and changes that are being made. They have made their XI of Game. Gambhir’s remarks come after India announced its Playing XI for the MCG Test, which includes four changes, although two of them are forced. With Ravindra Jadeja entering for Virat Kohli and Mohammed Siraj replacing the injured Mohammed Shami, the other two changes were Shubman Gill taking the place of Prithvi Shaw and Rishabh Pant in place of Wriddhiman Saha for the wicketkeeper role.
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Gambhir feels that Pant and Saha are unlucky knowing that neither player’s place on the team is assured, given that it was right after a match that Saha will be replaced by Pant. “It is unfortunate and Wriddhiman Saha has played only one test match in this series and has not done well and is eliminated. “Imagine what happens to Pant if he doesn’t do well on this test or the third. What do you do then? Would you go back to Wriddhiman Saha? Gambhir said on the YouTube channel Sports Today.
“This is why this team seems so restless because nobody is insured. Professional sports are all about safety. Everyone is talented when they represent the country. All they want is security and the assurance that we are there to stand behind them, not just with words but with actions. Nobody, apart from India, rotates the goalkeeper according to the conditions. “
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Following MS Dhoni’s retirement from test cricket in early 2015, Saha emerged as the Indian figure behind the stumps. It was in 2018 that Pant was drafted into the Indian test setup after injuries pushed off the Bengal wicketkeeper’s batsman. However, since their return, Saha and Pant have been involved in a seesaw battle, and it is hurting India in a big way, Gambhir acknowledges.
“Actually, it has been unfair to Rishabh Pant and Wriddhiman Saha, both for a long period of time, when they have chosen and chosen players in conditions. You don’t do that with doormen. You do that with bowlers, ”he raged.
“In overseas conditions, you play two spinners depending on the conditions, understandably, but other teams around the world have cut and changed wicketkeepers based on the conditions. Nobody but India. “
Gambhir ridiculed the argument that one goalkeeper is better than the other when it comes to playing at home and abroad. “I have never believed this rotation policy theory that Wriddhiman Saha is only good for the subcontinent and Rishabh Pant is better overseas because that is not how good teams come in. If you are good at Indian conditions, you should also deliver overseas. Whether he does or not is irrelevant, ”added the former India hitter.
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