Cricket

Sunil Gavaskar cites Duleep Trophy as example to reveal why India 'struggle' in Tests: 'How does a team learn?'

September 13, 2026

Following a drawn second Test in Colombo where Sonal Dinusha's full-day resistance prevented Shubman Gill's Indian squad from sweeping their two-match series against Sri Lanka, Sunil Gavaskar has scrutinized the roots of the national side's bowling deficiencies. India failed to dismiss the opposition's final four batters on the concluding day, an issue highlighting the team's ongoing difficulty in claiming twenty wickets and contributing to their slide to fifth in the World Test Championship table.

Writing in his Mid-Day column, the former national captain and 1983 World Cup champion connected these international woes directly to habits developed in Indian domestic competitions, notably the Duleep Trophy and Ranji Trophy.

Criticizing East Zone for prolonging their second turn at bat rather than pursuing a complete triumph, Gavaskar also questioned why Kishan and opposing skipper Tilak Varma agreed to conclude the match before the final session when South Zone had already been set an unattainable target exceeding 650. He argued that rewarding sides purely for first-innings margins deprives bowlers of the necessary domestic experience of delivering across two full innings, directly hindering their ability to dismiss Test opponents on batting-friendly surfaces.