Former Royal Challengers Bengaluru wicketkeeper-batter Shreevats Goswami has sparked fresh controversy around Indian cricket's leadership in Test matches, stating that the national team badly lacks the energy and belief that characterized Virat Kohli's era as captain.
Batting Collapse Prompts Leadership Debate
Goswami's comments came during India's disappointing performance in the second Test against South Africa in Guwahati, where the home team suffered another significant batting failure. The former cricketer took to social media platform X to express his concerns about the current state of Indian Test cricket.
In a strongly worded post, Goswami suggested that Kohli's retirement from Test cricket happened too early and that the longest format of the game misses the former captain much more than One Day Internationals. The timing of his remarks coincided with India's batting lineup crumbling to South Africa's bowling attack.
Goswami's Viral Social Media Statement
The former RCB player wrote extensively about what Kohli brought to the Indian Test team during his leadership tenure. Ideally Virat should have left playing ODIs and continued playing Test cricket until he had nothing to give, Goswami stated in his social media post that has since gained significant attention.
He emphasized that Test cricket misses Kohli not just as a player but for the energy, love, and passion he brought to the Indian team. According to Goswami, Kohli had instilled a belief in the squad that they could win matches under any conditions, a quality that appears missing from the current setup.
South Africa Dominates as India Struggles
On the field, the situation looked grim for the Indian team. South African left-arm fast bowler Marco Jansen delivered a devastating spell of 6/48, completely dismantling the Indian batting order and restricting them to 201 runs in response to South Africa's first innings total of 489.
India found themselves in deep trouble at 122/7 before Washington Sundar and Kuldeep Yadav provided some resistance with a brief partnership. However, the damage had already been done, and South Africa finished day three at 26/0, extending their overall lead to 314 runs.
The statistics paint a worrying picture for Indian Test cricket. The team now faces the possibility of suffering their fifth home defeat in just seven Tests, a dramatic decline from the dominant home record established during Kohli's captaincy. This potential series loss to South Africa would be particularly significant since the Proteas haven't won a Test series in India since the year 2000.
Goswami's comments reflect growing frustration among cricket fans and former players about India's red-ball cricket slide. The team had previously suffered a shocking series defeat to New Zealand last year, and now under Rishabh Pant's leadership, they confront another potential home series loss.
As the social media discussion continues to gain momentum, many are echoing Goswami's sentiment that India's Test team appears directionless and the vacuum created by Kohli's departure feels more substantial than anticipated. The debate raises crucial questions about the future direction of Indian Test cricket and whether the current leadership can restore the team's former dominance.
