The Indian cricket team is facing a storm of criticism following their recent Test defeat against South Africa at Eden Gardens, with former players and commentators questioning the team's direction under head coach Gautam Gambhir. At the heart of the controversy lies the narrative of a "transition phase," used to explain the team's struggles, particularly the batting collapse on a challenging pitch in Kolkata.

Manoj Tiwary, a former Indian cricketer, has strongly refuted this explanation, asserting that India's talent pool is deep enough to negate the need for a prolonged transition. Tiwary went further, making the explosive claim that senior players like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma were effectively pushed out of Test cricket due to a "poor environment" created within the team. He suggests that despite their desire to continue playing and "protect its sanctity," Kohli and Sharma felt compelled to retire from the longest format. Both players had announced their retirement from Test cricket earlier in the year, ahead of the Test series against England.

Gambhir has faced scrutiny for allegedly blaming the batsmen's technique against spin after the loss. Tiwary criticized this approach, arguing that a coach's role is to improve players' skills, not to fault them publicly. He implied that Gambhir, known as a good player of spin during his own career, should be focusing on coaching the team to improve their performance against it.

Sunil Gavaskar has also weighed in on the debate, urging the team management and selectors to prioritize proven domestic performers over limited-overs specialists. He emphasized that Test cricket requires specialists with patience and discipline, not players chosen based on ego or short-term form. Gavaskar highlighted the batsmen's struggles against spin-friendly home tracks, suggesting that players who prioritize international commitments often lack the necessary experience on turning domestic pitches. He also appeared to criticize the support for Nitish Kumar Reddy as a Test all-rounder.

Adding to the pressure on Gambhir is the condition of the pitches. The Eden Gardens pitch, in particular, became a subject of controversy after offering variable bounce right from the start, making batting difficult. Only one batsman from both teams managed to score a half-century. Some believe the team is over-relying on spin-friendly pitches, a strategy that has backfired in recent matches. Brad Haddin, former Australian wicketkeeper, suggested that India plays its best cricket when it builds scoreboard pressure with runs, rather than focusing solely on turning wickets.

Despite the criticism, Gambhir has maintained that the team is on the right track. Following the loss to South Africa, he stated, "this is what we wanted" in reference to the Eden Gardens pitch, further intensifying the scrutiny. However, India's recent Test record under Gambhir tells a different story. The team has lost four of their last six home Tests, including a rare series defeat to New Zealand.

The pressure is mounting on Gautam Gambhir and the team management to address these concerns and find a winning formula. With the second Test against South Africa in Guwahati looming, India needs to regroup and demonstrate that they can overcome these challenges. Failure to do so could raise more questions about the team's direction and Gambhir's future as head coach.

Adding to the selection dilemmas is the potential inclusion of Mohammed Shami in the squad. After India's defeat in the first test former captain Sourav Ganguly strongly backed Shami’s return.