“The Indian team cannot blame anyone, but themselves” - World Cup winner’s huge remark after 0-2 loss in IND vs SA 2025 Tests

Former cricketer Madan Lal remarked that Team India were responsible for their own downfall during the humiliating 0-2 series loss to South Africa at home in the World Test Championship (WTC) cycle. The Men in Blue suffered their second clean sweep at home in the space of 12 months to raise serious questions about their red-ball credentials.

The series loss has sparked unceasing ripples of criticism from all corners of the cricketing community. The quality of cricket, coupled with the margins of defeat, have proved alarming signs as the team slumps to the fifth spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) Standings.

Amid questions regarding preparation, team selection, and the coaching staff's influence, Madan Lal termed the entire charade as a 'debacle', while opining that India have nowhere to turn to in terms of pointing fingers.

"It is a debacle, as the team has played poor cricket. When we play a series at home, we do not expect such a performance. The Indian team cannot blame anyone, but themselves. Test cricket is not for all-rounders; it demands specialists. Having five to six batsmen, one or two all-rounders, and then a fleet of bowlers, both pacers and spinners, is what is needed. One more thing I could not understand is why the team was changed, given that they played well in England," Madan Lal told ANI.

Team India's 408-run loss in the second Test at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati is their biggest defeat in history, in terms of run margin, overtaking the 342-run loss they suffered against Australia in Nagpur, over 20 years ago.

"Start prioritising Test cricket if we are really, really serious about it" - Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir's stern message after IND vs SA 2025 Tests

Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir had to face the horde of media once again in the aftermath of another glaring defeat in Tests. The former player outlined the need for a collective effort to rescue red-ball cricket in India after a string of concerning results.

"Start prioritising Test cricket if we are really, really serious about it. If we really care about Test cricket, and if we want Test cricket to flourish in India, I think we have got to collective effort to make that happen. Because just blaming the players or blaming the support staff, or blaming certain individuals, will not help. We cannot put things under the carpet," Gambhir said during the post-match press conference (via Star Sports).

Team India are not scheduled to play another Test until August 2026, when they tour Sri Lanka for a two-match series. For the time being, the focus shifts to the home white-ball season, which begins with the three-match ODI series against South Africa from November 30 onwards.