Even before November 1999, a host of exceptional wicketkeeper-batters had graced the international scene, not least India’s own Farokh Engineer and the wonderful Andy Flower from Zimbabwe. But from the time a left-hander from Western Australia stormed the Test firmament at the Gabba in Brisbane nearly 27 years back with a bruising 81 on debut, against a shell-shocked Pakistani outfit, wicketkeeper-batters have been looked at in an entirely different vein.

Adam Gilchrist rewrote the dynamics of Test batsmanship. He was a destructive opener in limited-overs cricket long before he played his first Test, and reeled off numerous wondrous knocks, including in the final of the 50-over 2007 World Cup when, with a squash ball for company, he bludgeoned his way to 149 against Mahela Jaywardene’s Sri Lanka in a decisive effort that took Australia to a hat-trick of titles. But it was in the red-ball game that Gilchrist set stall as a pioneer, providing not just meaningful heft to the Australian batting but scoring runs at such a furious clip that opponents were often ducking, unsuccessfully, for cover.

For the most part of his glittering career that encompassed 96 Tests, the left-hander had the luxury of batting behind a grand top six that used different methodologies to subjugate bowling attacks in all parts of the world. The sight of Gilchrist, the destroyer supreme, striding in purposefully at No. 7, was dispiriting or exhilarating, depending on which side of the fence one was. Gilchrist seldom disappointed; when he scored his runs, he did so with not just panache and chutzpah but also with a violent streak that damaged bowling figures as well as egos. How could anyone bat with such unchecked aggression at No. 7? How could someone fuse a no-holds-barred approach with such consistency (as an average of 47.60 at a strike-rate of 81.95 will unequivocally testify to)?

Gold standard

Gilchrist will remain the gold standard among wicketkeeper-batters, the platform from which the likes of Mahendra Singh Dhoni, more than anyone else, launched himself into the stratosphere. Gilchrist’s towering presence kept an entire generation – or more – of Aussie stumper-batters out of international reckoning. India, however, found a judicious balance; while Dhoni’s aggression in front of the stumps and his brilliance behind it precluded a dynamic new force breaking through, India were compelled to find a place, if only as a specialist batter, for Dinesh Karthik, the ebullient little right-hander from Chennai who was more than good enough to hold his own as a batter.

Karthik wasn’t the first Indian gloveman to play as a specialist batter. Nearly four decades before him, Budhi Kunderan donned that role, even opening the batting in England in 1967 alongside designated wicketkeeper Engineer. A couple of decades on, Chandrakant Pandit played as a middle-order bat with Kiran More slotting in as the wicketkeeper. Such was Karthik’s great natural ability – which he didn’t maximise, he will acknowledge – that in the Dhoni era, India fielded him as a full-fledged opener overseas, and with no little success. Alongside Wasim Jaffer, Karthik formed an excellent opening combine in Bangladesh and England in 2007, bringing up his only Test ton across the border and bettering that effort by emerging as India’s highest scorer in England, when they last won a Test series there by a slender 1-0 margin.

Karthik played his last eight Tests down the order, sometimes when Dhoni wasn’t available (including through retirement) and he donned the big gloves, and at others when he played alongside the Jharkhandi as a pure batter. Just one half-century in his last 14 Test innings meant he played the last of his 26 Tests in August 2018; his Test average of 25 was decidedly underwhelming, given his supreme gift as a batter, but that can happen when one is overeager and anxious to not just justify their selection but also state their case for a longer rope.

India now have a profusion of excellent wicketkeeper-batters across formats – Rishabh Pant, of course, tops that chart, especially when it comes to the red-ball variant, but there are a host of others that can’t be ignored. Among them are Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan, exclusive when it comes to the white-ball version. And Dhruv Jurel, the 25-year-old from Agra whose first Test cap came as a wicketkeeper against England in Rajkot in February 2024 when Pant was out after his horrific road accident of 14 months previously and KS Bharat had played himself out of the XI with poor efforts in the first two Tests in Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam respectively.

The generational talent that Pant is, he kept almost exclusively from the time he made his Test debut in Nottingham in August 2018 and made a stunning 114 in his third appearance at the Oval till his single-car accident in December 2022 when India were suddenly forced to scramble for a replacement. Bharat, from Andhra, won the early nod for the home Tests against Australia in February 2023 and donned the big gloves in the final of the World Test Championship against the same opponents that June. KL Rahul was nominated the first-choice stumper for the two Tests in South Africa towards the end of the year, more to provide stability and class to the lower order in a line-up from which very few had played in South Africa previously. Bharat reclaimed his spot behind the sticks against England at home and played himself out of the XI following scores of 41, 28, 17 and 6 which meant that in seven Tests and 12 innings, he only averaged 20.09, a definite no-no given that the wicketkeeper’s was no longer a single-discipline specialised slot.

Out went the call to Jurel for the third Test in Rajkot with the series finely poised at 1-1, and it was immediately apparent that India had hit upon a gold mine. The right-hander made a poised 46 on debut, and upped the ante in the next match with scores of 90 and 39 not out, the first ensuring that India didn’t end up conceding a massive lead and the second taking them home in a tense run-chase when he and Shubman Gill put on 72 for the unfinished sixth-wicket stand.

This was in February 2024, when one wasn’t sure when Pant would be available for selection though in a characteristic show of gumption and guts, the stocky left-hander was far ahead of the timelines the doctors had tentatively outlined for a possible comeback to competitive cricket. Pant was ready for international cricket in September that year, making a remarkable recovery from a series of potentially life-threatening injuries to smash 109 on his comeback Test in Chennai against Bangladesh. Suddenly, Jurel faced an uncertain future. Despite an impressive start to his Test career, he had to bow before the irrepressible force that Pant was, though it was always on the cards that he could slot in alongside Pant, if not necessarily ahead of him.

In six of his last nine Tests, Jurel has occupied a specialist batter’s position between No. 4 and No. 8 (and that only because Akash Deep was employed as a nightwatchman at the Oval last August). On the three occasions when was the designated wicketkeeper, Pant was unavailable through injury after breaking his right foot in the Manchester Test against England in July last year. Despite the vast array of batting riches at India’s disposal, head coach Gautam Gambhir has identified in Jurel a dependable batting option, and the man from Uttar Pradesh has comprehensively justified that faith with two hundreds and a fifty in those nine Tests and 15 innings.

Jurel’s coming-of-age moment, if it can be called that, transpired in Ahmedabad last October with Pant still to recover from the broken foot. In India’s only innings against West Indies, he uncorked an excellent 125, then followed it up with 44 in the next Test in Delhi. With Pant returning to action against South Africa in November, Jurel continued on as a batter alone though like the rest of his colleagues, he had a series to forget with outings of 14, 13, 0 and 2 in a disastrous 0-2 result that has comprehensively dented India’s hopes of making a third WTC final in four cycles.

But instead of pressing the panic button and looking elsewhere, the decision-makers continued to invest their belief in him and Jurel has responded in style. Towards the end of June, he was a part of the India ‘A’ squad that travelled on the ‘shadow’ tour of Sri Lanka for two unofficial ‘Tests’, ostensibly at the insistence of Gambhir because of his felicity against the turning ball. Jurel warmed up nicely for the Test series to follow with scores of 141 not out, 14 and 53, and it was no surprise that he was picked for the first Test in Galle, when he weighed in with 51 and 7 in a winning cause.

In Colombo last week, Jurel went one better with an unbeaten 115 during which he brought his technical expertise and his mental fortitude into play. He also kept wickets for a while when Pant was recovering from a blow to his right shoulder sustained while batting, and when he went back to the outfield, took a terrific running catch from point to get rid of Lahiru Kumara in Sri Lanka’s first innings. At every stage in every role, he has looked the part, making his presence felt with total commitment and a never-say-die spirit without seeking recourse to the flashy and the flamboyant.

Jurel was chosen for Sri Lanka for his ability to play spin with finesse, and it is hard now to see him being overlooked during the November Test tour of New Zealand where the challenges for batters will be vastly different. At No. 6, behind Pant, he has the technique to tackle the second new ball if that is what he is confronted with. Ravindra Jadeja behind him in the batting order and the possible return of Washington Sundar from injury mean he is a right-handed option around a plethora of left-handers, and while that alone can’t be a qualification, he has shown that he can hold his own against bowling of any kind in any conditions.

India are fortunate that in Jurel, they have a three-in-one cricketer with his entire future ahead of him. As a batting average of 40.68 from 12 Tests proves, he is every bit deserving of the show of confidence. A place in the starting XI in Wellington in November is no more than he deserves; one can rest assured that Jurel will be short on neither preparation nor fire when ‘Play’ is called at the Basin Reserve.

A scrambled single to mid-off, a little leap in the air. The helmet whipped off, arms held half-aloft, his face bathed in a million-dollar smile. And just like that, Devdutt Padikkal became the 84th player to conjure a Test century for India.

And it wasn’t just any hundred. It was Padikkal’s maiden three-figure knock in the five-day game, in only his third Test appearance. These three appearances have come over a period of 29 months, which isn’t a reflection on the left-hander’s abilities but more a pointer to the logjam for places in the Indian batting which, despite its recent spin-infested afflictions at home, is still a formidable force.

Each of the 26-year-old’s caps has come because someone else has been unavailable. His debut, against England in March 2024, was a proverbial last-minute development, after Rajat Patidar was ruled out with an injury to his left ankle on the morning of the match. Summoned at little notice, Padikkal hardly looked out of place at No. 4, stroking his way to a majestic 65 marked by handsome strokes through the off-side off the back foot on a surface that encouraged that style of play.

Eight and a half months later, as India lined up for the first of five Tests against Australia at the sprawling Optus Stadium in Perth, out went the SOS to the Karnataka batter, this time because Shubman Gill was unavailable after fracturing his left thumb while fielding in the slips in an intra-squad simulation match. Despite having had greater time to come to terms with his overseas debut, Padikkal found little joy in the Western Australia capital in the first innings, nicked off by Josh Hazlewood for a 23-ball duck. He batted with a little more composure in the second innings as he came in on the back of a 201-run opening stand between Yashasvi Jaiswal and K.L. Rahul, but couldn’t progress beyond 25 as he was dismissed for the second time in the Test by Hazlewood.

Since then, it has been a whirlwind ride for the rangy left-hander, majestic and authoritative with an all-round game that he has used as an ally in domestic and franchise cricket. He had a fantastic time of it in IPL 2026 for defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru, fusing aggression with consistency in making 464 runs at a wonderful strike-rate of 168.72. Only Virat Kohli (675) and skipper Patidar (501) made more runs for the holders, and of those who made at least 250 runs, only Patidar (192.69) and Tim David (188.27) boasted a better rate of scoring. To say that Padikkal was one of the engine rooms as the Bengaluru franchise emulated Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians by becoming only the third franchise to retain the IPL crown will be a gross understatement.

Leader of sorts

Within the RCB setup, Padikkal had grown into a leader of sorts. New skipper Patidar was clearly in charge, but Padikkal was no longer one of the happy-go-lucky boys. Given a high-profile role at No. 3 to take on the bowling from the get-go, Padikkal had grown into that responsibility; the fear of being dismissed was replaced by a quiet confidence in his assiduous preparation, and it was hardly a surprise to see him repeatedly deposit his first ball out of the park, with correctness and elegance and no more than a semblance of power.

That he was growing in stature had earlier been evidenced by Amit Verma’s selection panel bestowing on him the captaincy of the Karnataka Ranji Trophy side midway through a stop-start campaign that was seemingly taking them nowhere. As they relieved Mayank Agarwal of the leadership role, the hat sat snugly on Padikkal’s head; justifying the show of faith, the new captain reeled off several impactful knocks as he hauled his team to the title round, where the hosts came up short against an inspired Jammu & Kashmir in the final in Hubbali.

His exploits caught the eye of Gautam Gambhir, the Indian head coach, and chief selector Ajit Agarkar. India had rewarded Karun Nair’s stellar domestic run by recalling him to the Test set-up after a long gap on the tour of England last summer, but Karun didn’t exactly cash in, making just a solitary half-century in the final Test at the Oval to play himself out of contention. A disastrous set of matches against South Africa at home in November last meant India had to revisit their options going forward as their World Test Championship aspirations hung by a slender thread.

Padikkal was earmarked as a sure-shot Test option, though no one was quite sure when his turn would come. There was a slant towards Dhruv Jurel to occupy a middle-order position, so if Padikkal had to be accommodated, it would have to be in the top three. But the decision-makers had thrown their weight behind the performing opening duo of Rahul and Jaiswal and the perceived promise at No. 3 of Sai Sudharsan, so it seemed as if Padikkal’s time wasn’t nigh yet.

But as is often the case, one man’s misfortune is another’s opportunity. Sudharsan, not exactly translating backing and potential into consistent performances, seemed to have nailed down the No. 3 berth after making centuries for India ‘A’ in consecutive unofficial ‘Tests’ in Sri Lanka in June and July, until a stress reaction in his big toe led to him being ruled out of the ongoing Test series. Arrive Padikkal, stage left. This time, as he took a bow after a virtuoso performance, there was a strong, lingering feeling that he wouldn’t have to wait another 21 months for his next Test appearance.

Pivotal position

The No. 3 position is a massively responsible, pivotal one in Test cricket. India have been blessed with exceptional personnel who manned that spot for long periods; since the turn of the millennium, the two men who made No. 3 their very own were Rahul Dravid, Padikkal’s Statemate and the former National captain, and Cheteshwar Pujara.

From the middle of 2023 until last summer, when he was named Rohit Sharma’s successor as the Test captain, Gill was a prolific scorer after stepping into Pujara’s shoes in the Caribbean. But once Gill dropped down to No. 4 — the spot opened up after Kohli’s Test retirement — the quest for the No. 3 began afresh.

In the last few years, India have tried out numerous options in a desperate bid to unearth a dependable hand that can steer the ship through choppy waters. That quest has taken them through a fair few names — Sudharsan, the aforementioned Karun, Rahul himself and Washington Sundar — but the fact that no one had scored a Test century from No. 3 since Gill in September 2024 against Bangladesh in Chennai reiterated that they had yet to button down a one-for-the-future choice. Sudharsan emerged as the one that enjoyed the backing of the coach and the captain, but now, Padikkal has stolen a march and has the chance to build on the gains of the Galle Test next week in the Sri Lankan capital.

Padikkal’s first of what is certain to be several Test tons was a win for planning and preparation. Between the ‘A’ tour in which he scored 12, 67 and 94 and embarking for Sri Lanka again, Padikkal trained hard at the Karnataka Institute of Cricket with personal coach Naseeruddin Mohammed. It wasn’t just mindless, ‘let’s get through the grind’ training; a lot of thought had gone into what were the areas that needed to be addressed. Among them was getting a feel of playing consistently against the red Kookaburra ball, and getting used to different types of spinners — variety- and height-wise — on pitches offering varying degrees of turn in a concerted bid to replicate what was expected to be on offer during the Tests in Sri Lanka.

Batters often make minute, conditions-based technical adjustments that are so subtle that they often go unnoticed. In the IPL, for instance, Padikkal relied heavily on an upright stance. At KIOC, he worked hard to stay low so that he could get to the pitch of the ball to smother turn. Hard hands are a must in T20 cricket but an absolute no-no on turning tracks, so Padikkal embarked on another exciting journey to consciously keep the hands softer, to drop his wrists, so that he didn’t put the close-in cordon in business.

Staking a claim

All this, even when he wasn’t sure that he’d get a look-in. Ten days back in Colombo, with Sudharsan’s tour banging in the balance, Padikkal staked his claim all over again with an unbeaten 142 against an SLC XI, and once the Tamil Nadu left-hander was officially ruled out, it was obvious that Padikkal’s time to rise and shine was imminent.

What stood out when he took guard at the Galle International Stadium on Saturday, day one of the first Test, was his self-belief. It must have helped that he walked out to join his senior Karnataka colleague, because Rahul and he share a terrific relationship with the older man taking his state captain under his wing, so to say. Padikkal started like he often did in the IPL, with a pulled four (off debutant off-spinner Keshara Nuwantha) off the first ball he faced. A couple of deliveries later, he put on his dancing shoes to shimmy down the track and deposit experienced left-arm spinner Prabath Jayasuriya over the long-on fence. Padikkal had bared his hand, but Sri Lanka had nothing to counter him with.

The day-one surface had plenty for the spinners, but Padikkal was unstoppable. Without hitting a stroke in anger, he moved through the gears effortlessly, overshadowing Rahul’s calm, unflustered presence with a glittering array of delectable strokes. The decisiveness in foot movement was the most standout feature as he ended a 35-innings wait for an Indian No. 3 to keep his tryst with three-figures in Test cricket.

By the time he was finally dismissed after five and a half hours of the most compelling presence in the middle, Padikkal had eased — there really is no more appropriate word — to 167. In all the years that India have travelled to Sri Lanka, only Sachin Tendulkar (203), Virender Sehwag (201) and Shikhar Dhawan (190) have registered a numerically more substantial individual score. That Padikkal wasn’t satisfied with just a tryst with three-figures but aimed bigger and higher must delight Gill and Gambhir no end.

Having fired the first salvo, it’s entirely up to Padikkal to make himself undroppable. And thereby to make sure that he doesn’t keep having to look over his shoulder.

Allies turned rivals: India head coach Gambhir and his Sri Lanka counterpart Kirsten go a long way back.
| Photo Credit: Getty Images

Since the start of the IPL, runs have been flowing from B. Sai Sudharsan’s bat. The Gujarat Titans opener had a great season, finishing as the third-highest run-getter (722 runs). He then seamlessly switched into the longer format, scoring 81 in the Test against Afghanistan before following it up with twin centuries for India-A in the two four-day games in Sri Lanka.

In this chat with The Hindu, the 24-year-old Tamil Nadu batter opens up about his “best IPL season” as well as his experience playing Test cricket over the last year. Excerpts:

How do you see this purple patch?

I am feeling really grateful for whatever I have done in the IPL. The way it started, the way it unfolded, the way it ended — it was very interesting.

I have always had good starts in every IPL. So this one was even more interesting because I didn’t score much in the first four to five games. Mentally, I won’t say it was challenging but more interesting, as belief, trust, and everything increased day by day rather than becoming doubtful. It was a very good IPL, and it was my best year.

Does it make it more special that you recovered from a tough start?

Yes, for sure, because when you are scoring, it is easy. When you keep playing, it is easier to believe and to be in a confident frame of mind. But when you don’t score, it’s even more important to feel the same way.

So, in that way, it was very interesting, and I learnt a lot in this IPL. When it is not converted into evidence, are you still trusting the process and your abilities? Mentally, when you enter the game, are you still thinking about not scoring in the previous match, or are you entering in an expressive frame of mind to make an impact for the team? So I think, in those ways, I learnt a lot — to not take the past into the game.

Was there a specific game that unlocked something for you?

Yes. I got a hundred against RCB. That was the game which actually changed quite a lot of things. We lost that match, yes, but that game gave us momentum. From there, the team also did well. The team faced a challenge: we were still doing well, but something was not going right. Then we won in Chennai, and from there, everybody’s game started going the way we wanted.

You came into the IPL after an injury lay-off due to a rib fracture. How difficult was the recovery?

Definitely, it was not easy because breathing was difficult. But sometimes, when you get a break, you have time to think about the game. You have time to really introspect about what you want to do. So I saw it as a blessing in disguise. At that time, I wanted to use it wisely and productively, so that I would still bat a lot mentally. I couldn’t do it physically, of course, but mentally I batted a lot and didn’t feel that I was away from the sport.

What did you specifically work on during those three to four months?

It’s more about the feel. The feeling of batting. All the small things I wanted to improve, all the small additions I wanted to make — I just did them in my head. I tried to visualise it more and sustain that feeling.

There’s a lot of talk around strike-rates. However, you and your opening partner, Shubman Gill, took a different approach, trying to bat long. How do you see it in the bigger picture when the demands of T20 cricket keep changing? Do you feel tempted to play at a higher tempo?

We’re not looking at it as ‘We have to play at this strike-rate to win’. We’re looking at it from a broader perspective — what is required for the game, rather than individual statistical points. We’re not looking at it as a stats-oriented approach. Yes, stats are very important for improving and getting better. But we’re not looking to predetermine how we’ll play. If we’re chasing 240, we have to play at a 200 strike-rate anyway. It’s situational, rather than saying we can only do well if we play at a particular strike-rate. As a team, as you rightly said, we’re trying to give ourselves the best chance of winning.

At the same time, don’t you feel it could affect your personal career?

It’s actually a great question because it’s actually a challenge as well. But I feel winning is the ultimate recipe, or the ultimate key, to whatever you want to do. You don’t have to think personally. For a team, winning is the ultimate recipe. If you make your team win, you will eventually get the call-up and recognition. Everything else is secondary. It is a by-product. The ultimate goal is to have the team’s intent to win. The way I’m looking at it is: Am I giving myself the best possible chance to contribute? I feel that if we put a constraint like that in place, we are holding ourselves back.

You have now scored more than 700 runs for the second consecutive season. How do you ensure you keep improving to stay ahead in a format that keeps changing?

Even during the tournament, the game is evolving. This year, there were two spectrums of games. Either they were very low-scoring or very high-scoring. At the start of the tournament, there were three or four situations in which it was still possible to hit the ball correctly. I learnt certain things from that. I got out to balls that weren’t really wicket-taking deliveries. They were short, into the body, down the side of the leg. So I felt there was still space for the right movements to happen, and then you score runs. I worked more on that. Similarly, there were many examples from last year and this year. At certain times, I wasn’t finishing games, so I wanted to finish games. I feel I’m aware of those things. I keep building on them so the batting works automatically.

How do you handle not being in India’s T20 plans despite two very good IPL seasons?

There is nothing to handle. No disappointment, no expectation. We have a job in our hands. As simple as that. I know it may sound contradictory to many people. Yes, everybody wants to play for the country, and I want it even more. But what’s important is understanding what is within our control and what we should be hungry for. In the IPL, the important job is to put the team where we want it to be and win the tournament.

That’s the biggest priority. Selection comes as a by-product. There are still many things I can improve. I can work on those, come back to the IPL, and make an even bigger impact. Those are the things I have in my control, and I will back myself to do that every year.

Your assessment of your first year as a Test cricketer?

It is interesting. Even a small weakness or flaw will be challenged. As a batter, you have to keep improving and evolving from all those small things. It changes every single day and every single session. To be versatile enough to understand that and be smart is very important. But the satisfaction you get from scoring runs in Tests is unparalleled. You toil for five days. The hard work on the fourth or fifth day, when you get those runs or that win, is just very satisfying.

What have been the biggest learnings from the first year?

We have to keep evolving as batters, and there isn’t much time to do so. You have to be smart enough to pick things up and evolve. I feel it is all about owning that place. I could have owned it a bit more. I could have been a bit freer. The more ownership I take, and the more courage I have to go out there and express myself, the more I feel I’ll be able to bring out the best version of myself. That’s probably the biggest learning for me.

A little bit of that happened during the Afghanistan series. It helped me express myself more rather than trying to be right.

But hats off to my team: because of the support staff, the communication, and the way they supported and backed me — I was very happy with that.

Even in the Kolkata Test (vs. South Africa), which I didn’t play, I was very comfortable because the communication was very clear. We were looking at an extra spinner to give us the best chance. The communication was very clear, and as a player, you need that freedom.

During the West Indies series, GG (Gautam Gambhir) sir was very communicative. He backed me really well. In the Delhi Test (vs. West Indies), I was actually happy because I understood my batting better. I needed that clarity at that time, so it was very helpful to me.

I feel my batting has also become a little more fine-tuned. Decision-making, footwork, and movement in the crease—these experiences have helped me further fine-tune my game.

After the South Africa tour, I had quite a lot of time to prepare, understand those things and fine-tune them.

You have been dismissed twice in the 80s. Do you regret not converting those starts?

I’d agree that it was a little disappointing not to convert them. But at the same time, I was really happy with the level of control I had and the intensity of my play. The feeling while batting was really good, and the control was good. So I’m looking forward to building on that. The big score will come when it’s supposed to come.

There has been some criticism surrounding your First Class average. Are you aware of that, and how do you handle it?

Honestly, I’m not even aware of my own statistics. I don’t know how many matches I’ve played, how many hundreds I’ve scored or what my average is. Even in the IPL, I don’t know how many games I’ve played or how many runs I’ve scored. The reason is simple — I don’t want to judge myself based on statistics. I believe more in the experience than the numbers.

One game might be on a raging turner. Another game could be on a seaming wicket. Every match presents a different challenge. So it’s very difficult for me to look at my average and tell myself, ‘I’m batting well because my average is good’ or, ‘I’m batting badly because my average isn’t good enough’. For me, it’s about being fully present in that particular situation and doing the best I possibly can.

How was your experience of playing those two four-day games in Sri Lanka?

It was a really valuable experience and a great opportunity for us to understand the conditions. There was more breeze, a little more bounce and a little more turn than what we’re generally used to. Even the bowling culture there is different.

The bowlers are extremely consistent and disciplined rather than relying on something extraordinary. As a batter, getting more game time in Test cricket is always the best opportunity to learn.

Luckily, we played at Galle, so we got an opportunity to understand how the wickets behaved and how they generally prepared the surfaces. Overall, it was a really good experience and a great opportunity for us to understand the conditions.

Can you elaborate on the impact of the breeze?

The strong breeze changes everything. Because of the wind, the ball’s line changes quite a lot. Experiencing that was really valuable. It’s actually very similar to England. In England, the fast bowlers get late movement. Here, because of the breeze, the spinners get late drift. So you can’t commit too early, and you can’t judge the length too early. You have to keep judging the ball as late as possible because it keeps changing its line.

What’s the next month looking like for you?

The next month will be a proper off-season with some long practice sessions. Overall, it’s a great window to work hard and build towards the coming season. There are two main areas. The first is from a physical perspective. I want to become stronger, leaner, and fitter, especially in my movement and recovery, so that I can recover better and faster.

The second is my batting. I want to continue fine-tuning my game against spin. We have a series against Sri Lanka, where the conditions are quite similar, and then a couple of Tests in New Zealand, which will obviously present a different challenge. So my focus is on improving my batting against spin, better understanding my footwork, and continuing to develop my game.

Giving due credit: Brook was vocal about McCullum’s contribution as a Test coach.
| Photo Credit: AP

India’s Sanju Samson plays a shot during the 1st T20I against England, at Riverside Ground in Chester-le-Street on July 1, 2026.
| Photo Credit: ANI

India’s coach Gautam Gambhir, right, and BCCI Senior Men’s Selection Committee Chairman Ajit Agarkar during a training session on the eve of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 final on March 7, 2026.
| Photo Credit: PTI

Those calling for the heads of contemporary cricket’s two most influential coaches, India’s Gautam Gambhir and England’s Brendon McCullum ignore that the metric by which success is measured might be changing. England lost the Ashes series in Australia while India’s recent loss to New Zealand followed losses at home and away.

Sometimes it seems that today’s coaches are not judged on results alone — although Gambhir must hope that India win the World T20 next month so he can breathe more freely. They are judged on team culture. Are the players happy? Are they improving? Are they expressing themselves?

McCullum has said he is not for “being told what to do.” That sounds like something Gambhir, less articulate and more aggressive, might say too.

A consequence of the modern game’s formats and data-driven approach is the modified role of the coach. The cricket coach once existed in the margins. He was there to oil the machinery, not redesign it. The captain ruled, the selectors ordained, and the coach was merely the man in the background, often in a floppy hat, occasionally blamed when nothing else worked.

The modern coach has moved from the shadows to the centre as strategist, psychologist, data interpreter, public speaker, and damage controller. In the amateur era, coaching was considered unnecessary. Great players were assumed to be self-explanatory texts. A coach, if appointed, was often a senior figure whose authority came from past deeds rather than present ideas. He was there to nod wisely, occasionally say “well played”, and ensure the nets were rolled properly. The captain decided the team, the batting order, and the tactics.

Curator of knowledge

Video analysis, fitness metrics, opposition data, and the tyranny of spreadsheets have transformed the coach into a curator of knowledge. Someone had to connect the numbers to the humans. The captain still led on the field, but the coach now shaped strategy. Preparation was power. T20 compressed authority. The coach, who lived in the future, suddenly had more influence than the captain who lived in the present.

Players are brands, investments, and fragile assets. They are managed across formats, franchises, and national loyalties. Someone must coordinate all this to keep chaos at bay. Welcome, the McCullums and the Gambhirs.

The relationship between coach and captain is crucial, but they are human beings, with egos and failings. When tensions arise, it is unclear who ranks higher. This ambiguity is new, and cricket is still adjusting to it. 

A Virat Kohli as skipper is unhappy with an Anil Kumble as coach, and the latter loses his job. A Gambhir possibly has issues with Rohit Sharma, and out goes the captain. Gambhir is the closest cricket has had to a football supremo. This has to do as much with his cricketing credentials as his political ones as a prominent member of the ruling party.

England’s coach thinks up a system first and then squeezes his players into it. Bazball is not everybody’s cup of tea, but it was successful. Many who supported it initially are its biggest critics now. This might qualify as bad faith, but critics are human too. If McCullum loses his job, what made England cricket so attractive might be jettisoned.

Skipper Ben Stokes has been supportive of his coach. Indian captains rarely express opinions beyond the ‘official’, so we don’t know what they think.

Losing coaches often say that a coach is only as good as the players under him. Had India won the last Test series in England (they drew 2-2), both debutant skipper Shubhman Gill and coach Gambhir would have received credit, although how much each got is not easily calculated.

And that’s the issue. You can’t put a number on team spirit, culture etc. except by the old metric. Team spirit leads to wins. The culture in a winning team is fine. Sometimes the abstract is easier to understand than the concrete. Those asking for the heads of McCullum and Gambhir are saying in effect that only results matter.

Reality in cricket has moved beyond the methods to calculate it. The important question belongs to the old metric, however: Did the decisions lead to victory? McCullum and Gambhir are caught in the cleft between process and outcome, between the old and the new.

Published – January 21, 2026 12:35 am IST