Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar has voiced concern over the state of India’s red-ball cricket after the team suffered a 0–2 whitewash against South Africa in the Test leg of the home series, stressing that results in the longest format remain the truest measure of a nation’s cricketing health. India’s home season produced mixed emotions. The return of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in the ODI series brought festive scenes and headline-grabbing performances, while a youthful T20I side continued to impress despite a few rough edges. Yet those positives have done little to dull the pain of another home Test whitewash, India’s second in successive years, which has left supporters deeply unsettled.
While defeats at home are not unheard of and long unbeaten streaks are eventually broken, the manner of India’s collapse stood out. The batting unit, stacked with proven talent, was undone repeatedly by South Africa’s disciplined bowling attack, led by spinner Simon Harmer and the tall left-arm pacer Marco Jansen, on challenging surfaces. India’s batters were also comprehensively outplayed by the Proteas line-up across both Tests. The disappointment followed closely on the heels of a 0–3 home whitewash against New Zealand last year, suffered despite the presence of senior players such as Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravichandran Ashwin. More recently, a younger Indian side, captained by Rishabh Pant in place of the injured Shubman Gill, was unable to halt the slide, further compounding the sense of unease among fans.
Sanjay Manjrekar post
Manjrekar took to X to underline the significance of the setback, arguing that Test cricket still casts the longest shadow. He wrote that while India may have won the ODI and T20I series against South Africa, it is the 2–0 defeat in the Tests that continues to linger. According to him, Test results reveal the true state of a country’s cricket, and addressing issues in that format must remain a priority. India now face a stretch dominated by white-ball cricket, with three ODIs and five T20Is against New Zealand coming up, followed by the ICC T20 World Cup and the IPL next year. As a result, it will be several months before the team returns to Test action. At present, India sit sixth in the ICC World Test Championship standings, with four wins, four losses and one draw, translating to a points percentage of 48.15. Australia lead the table with a perfect percentage, followed by South Africa on 75.
