"Gambhir talks about it, but it needs to be demonstrated" - Former batter questions India's experiments in IND vs SA 2025 Tests

Former batter Aakash Chopra questioned India's lack of consistency in selection and tweaks in batting order during the Test series against South Africa. Reacting to coach Gautam Gambhir's statement, urging for patience with the young team, Chopra opined that the team management first needs to show faith in its players by backing them for a longer run instead of chopping and changing.

South Africa beat India by 408 runs at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati on Wednesday, November 26. Set a target of 549, they resumed their second innings on Day 5 at 27-2 and were all-out for 140 in 63.5 overs. The Proteas thus registered their first Test series triumph in India since 2000.

Speaking on ESPNcricinfo, Chopra criticized the Indian team management for trying out too many things in the Test series against South Africa. He commented:

"Dealing with a young team requires patience. Gautam Gambhir talks about it, but it needs to be demonstrated as well. You need consistency in selection and batting positions. When you played Nitish Kumar Reddy over here, you realized that he is not able to play as a batter. And, we don't want to play him as a bowler. What do you expect from him?

"Sai Sudharsan made runs in Delhi, but you dropped him at Eden Gardens. You play Washington Sundar at No. 3, but when he bats well, you send him at No. 8 in Guwahati. Exactly what are you trying to do? You need to give batters opportunities to bat at the same position on a consistent basis," the 48-year-old added.

Sundar was India's leading run-getter in the two-match Test series, with 124 runs in four innings at an average of 31. Sai Sudharsan played the second Test in Guwahati and registered scores of 15 & 14.

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"They're learning on the job" - Gautam Gambhir on India's 2-0 series loss to South Africa

Reflecting on India's 2-0 Test series loss to South Africa, coach Gambhir opined that most of the players are still young and are in a learning phase. He backed them to get better with experience. Asked about India's latest Test series defeat at home, the former India batter said:

"Yes, this is a team which has less experience. They need to keep learning and they're putting [in] everything possible to turn the tide. I don't give excuses... but four or five batters in this top eight have literally played less than 15 Test matches [each], and they will grow. They're learning on the job. They're learning on the field."

Following the 2-0 Test series loss against South Africa, the hosts will now take on the Proteas in three ODIs, which will be followed by a five-match T20I series.