"We will continue to struggle in red-ball cricket" - Gautam Gambhir's revelation on India's struggles against spin

Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir has responded to the massive backlash regarding his disappointing record in Tests during his tenure. The former Indian opener stated that continuous practice on flat pitches makes it difficult to adapt to facing spinners on turning tracks, especially in red-ball cricket.

The Men in Blue defended the T20 World Cup title by defeating New Zealand at the Narendra Modi Stadium on March 8. Gambhir became the very first Indian head coach to secure two back-to-back ICC titles. However, the team's performance in red-ball cricket is a major concern during the World Test Championship.

You Are Bound To Struggle On Turning Wickets - Gautam Gambhir

During an exclusive interview with Dainik Jagran, Gautam Gambhir was asked about the Indian batters constantly struggling to play quality spin bowling. Gambhir stated that the Indian batters have been failing to adapt to turning tracks due to practice on flat tracks.

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"We don’t play on those kinds of wickets anymore. It’s not as if you can play on one type of wicket all year and then suddenly adapt when the ball starts spinning," Gambhir said.

"In the past, when players practiced, they would do so on "turning tracks." Today, if you look at our net sessions, the wickets are so flat—almost like T20 tracks. If you consistently play on flat tracks, you are bound to struggle on turning wickets."

Gautam Gambhir also spoke about the tight international scheduling. He stated that the lack of preparation camps between different formats is a concern and demanded a mandatory practice window on turning tracks before every upcoming Test series.

"Therefore, I believe the most important factor is the nature of our preparation, especially for Test matches. No one talked about the two Test series we played recently, and no one will. We were playing a Test match against the West Indies just two days after the Asia Cup; we only had two days to prepare."

"When we returned from Australia, we had a Test series against South Africa just three days later. When you transition from white-ball cricket to the red-ball format, there should be a camp of at least seven to eight days where we can practice on turning tracks. That is crucial."

"If we don’t do this, we will continue to struggle in red-ball cricket. Moving forward, a positive change is coming: we plan to have seven to eight days of preparation before every Test series. During my tenure so far, except for the series against Australia and England, we haven't had any time to actually prepare."

Team India Struggles in Test Cricket Under Gautam Gambhir

Under Gautam Gambhir, the national team faced severe challenges in Test cricket with a win percentage of just 36.84%. The Men in Blue have secured seven wins and lost ten, while two ended in draws over 19 matches in the past 14 months.

The squad suffered a tough series loss against Australia and humiliating home whitewashes against New Zealand and South Africa. They also failed to advance to the WTC Final in the last cycle.

Following Rohit Sharma's retirement from the longer format, young captain Shubman Gill took over the leadership duties. However, the young squad is still adjusting to competing against top-tier international teams. They are currently in sixth place in the WTC 2025-27 cycle with four wins from seven Tests.

Also read: 'Winning Olympics is bigger than winning World Cup': Gautam Gambhir reveals his vision