IND vs SA 2025: ‘Players should adapt to the conditions’ – BCCI secretary says while defending under-fire Gautam Gambhir

Head coach Gautam Gambhir has been at the receiving end of intense criticism after the Indian team was whitewashed 0-2 by South Africa in the two-match Test series. Some fans even feel that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) needs to intervene and give Gambhir an ultimatum, as the hopes of reaching the World Test Championship (WTC) final have been dented significantly following the recent losses.

However, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia has come out in Gambhir’s defence, saying that the players need to adapt better to different conditions. He cited the example of legendary Indian batters like Dilip Vengsarkar and Sunil Gavaskar, mentioning how they adopted different techniques for playing at home and away.

“The players must adjust to the weather, the overall conditions, and the composition of the soil as well as the length of the grass on a pitch. A Test cricketer is expected to adapt to any kind of wicket. If you look at the batting of Dilip Vengsarkar or Sunil Gavaskar in the past, they used different techniques for playing at home or in different conditions in countries like the West Indies, England, South Africa, or Australia. Everything is variable except the player, and he or she should adapt to the conditions. That is what the game is all about. That is the beauty of Test cricket,” Saikia was quoted as saying to TOI.

Saikia also urged the fans, as well as other stakeholders of Indian cricket, to give the current Indian team a bit of time as it is going through a transition phase following the retirements of stalwarts like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Ravichandran Ashwin this year.

“You have to consider vital things. One is that three seasoned cricketers — Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Ravichandran Ashwin — left Test cricket. New players are coming into the set-up. So, at present, the Indian team is going through a transition. It will take some time before we reclaim our position as the No. 1 Test team in the world,” he added.

BCCI doesn’t take knee-jerk reactions: Saikia

Saikia mentioned that the BCCI will continue following its long-term plan and not press the panic button based on a couple of unfavourable outcomes.

“BCCI doesn’t take knee-jerk reactions. We are going on as per our long-term plan. Winning or losing is a part of the game. We don’t make changes every now and then. If any change is required, we take a call at the end of that particular period,” Saikia said.