Former India's star batter Robin Uthappa gave Shubman Gill's brigade a solid reality check following their embarrassing 30-run defeat against South Africa in the first Test. The misery of India's batting was such, it couldn't even chase down a lowly target of 124 at the Eden Gardens stadium. This loss also cost India in the World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-2027 points table as they slipped to fourth place in the standings. Notably, they were placed at third spot before the series kicked off.
For the first time since the competition's inception, India failed to qualify for the WTC final in the previous edition. One of the primary setbacks that contributed to this outcome during the last cycle was a disappointing 3-0 series defeat against New Zealand in India, a result that significantly hampered their standing. Thus far in the current WTC cycle, India has managed mixed results. They achieved a competitive 2-2 series draw against England while playing away from home and secured a Test series victory against the West Indies on home soil. However, the team slipped up yet again last week, suffering a defeat in Kolkata against the current WTC champions.
There needs to be a sense of realism about the goal for the next two years: Robin Uthappa
Following the recent loss, Uthappa publicly questioned the team's overall readiness for the rigors of the WTC. The defeat, especially on home ground against the reigning champions, has raised concerns about the squad's ability to consistently perform at the required elite level.
“Visiting teams play lesser cricket than India and have far more time for preparation. There is too much cricket happening. You are going with one size fits all and trying to produce results. There needs to be a sense of realism about the goal for the next two years,” Uthappa said on his Youtube channel.
“Yes, you want to get to the WTC final, but is this team ready to get there? Who is really effective outside of Bumrah and Siraj? We are missing a third pacer. They are trying out a bunch of guys. In all honesty, we don’t have a confirmed third fast bowler,” Uthappa added.
'India don’t have Test centres as a country'
The 40-year-old also talked about the dearth of Test centre in the country which Team India has been missing out on.
“India don’t have Test centres as a country. You are randomly playing Tests everywhere and trying to produce results in your favour. That takes away from the larger goal. If you have Test centres, you can curate home advantage based on the visiting team. India is not doing that,” he concluded.
All eyes will be on Gill, who in all likelihood set to miss the second Test against South Africa due to neck injury. Notably the series decider is set to start from November 22 in Guwahati.