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"Bit unsettling": Kumble blames Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma for India's middle-order crisis

Akshita Patel

Anil Kumble's blunt take on India's batting crisis [Source: @sagarbhuva977, @Oxygen18_/X.com]Anil Kumble's blunt take on India's batting crisis [Source: @sagarbhuva977, @Oxygen18_/X.com]

Former legendary Indian spinner Anil Kumble has made a bold statement about the current state of India’s Test team. According to him, the retirements of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Cheteshwar Pujara have badly unsettled India’s batting line-up.  

India are on the verge of losing yet another home series against South Africa, and the middle-order collapses have been largely blamed for the dire state.

Anil Kumble reveals why India’s Test team is weak

Talking to JioHotstar, Anil Kumble explained that over the last few years, India’s top order has gone through too many changes. 

He said that four out of the top five batters who once formed the backbone of India’s Test team are now either retired or dropped. 

“The other aspect of also, you know, I want to bring this point about India’s batting. Over the last three or four years, you have seen four batters in the top five either retire or not be picked. You know, if it is, you know, Virat Kohli is retired, Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, then you have, of course… Rahane. So four out of five, plus Shubman Gill isn’t in this lineup," Kumble said.

These include Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane. On top of that, Shubman Gill, who is not just the captain but also a key batter, is missing from the playing XI due to a neck spasm.

Kumble added that such frequent changes in the batting order can badly affect the confidence and rhythm of players. He believes young and new batters need time to settle and perform, not constant chopping and changing.

“Yes, they will come good, they will be off days. It is just a matter of supporting them for a period of six, seven, or eight Tests. But if you look back at the last, what, 10-12 Tests, the batting orders at the top have been up and down," he added.

He also took a dig at Gautam Gambhir to stress that players should be backed for at least six to eight Test matches so that they can find their feet at the international level. 

"There have been a lot of changes there, so that is, I am sure, a bit unsettling for the players too. So looking at all of that and the effort here, you know, you feel disappointed. You expected the effort to be better." 

Instead, India’s top order has kept changing over the last 10 to 12 matches, which has created confusion and pressure within the team.

Gautam Gambhir also blamed the batters for Kolkata Test defeat

India lost the first Test against South Africa by 30 runs in Kolkata. Refusing to blame the pitch, head coach Gautam Gambhir instead blamed the batters for getting bowled out on just 93 in the second innings.

He called out poor temperament and said that the total was chaseable. Gambhir also defended the Eden Gardens pitch, saying it wasn’t “unplayable” and that the batters should have shown more mental strength to build innings.