NEW DELHI: India may have registered the biggest innings victory in their Test history against Afghanistan, but legendary Sunil Gavaskar believes the team’s biggest challenge lies not with the ball but with the bat. India crushed Afghanistan by an innings and 300 runs in the one-off Test in Mullanpur on Monday, eclipsing their previous record margin of victory. The hosts piled up 564 for 8 declared, courtesy centuries from Shubman Gill and KL Rahul, before dismissing Afghanistan for 152 and 112. Debutant left-arm spinner Manav Suthar starred with a seven-wicket match haul and was named Player of the Match.Despite the emphatic result, Gavaskar urged the team to stop viewing itself through the lens of transition and instead focus on maintaining the standards expected of an Indian Test side.“It’s time to move away from constantly describing this team as being in transition and instead focus on the standards expected in Test cricket,” Gavaskar said on JioStar’s ‘Cricket Live’.“Every team goes through retirements, changes in personnel, and periods of evolution, but ultimately the emphasis has to remain on performance.”India are currently navigating life without several senior players, with a younger core led by captain Shubman Gill taking on greater responsibility. However, Gavaskar argued that the conversation should not revolve around transition forever.Looking back at India’s recent performances in the format, the batting legend identified the batting unit as the area requiring greater attention.“Looking back at some of India’s recent Test results, the bigger concern has been the batting rather than the bowling. The bowling attack has generally done its job, but the batters need to show greater discipline and stronger technique, especially in challenging situations.”The former skipper’s assessment comes even after India produced a commanding batting performance against Afghanistan. Gill and Rahul struck centuries, while Sai Sudharsan and Rishabh Pant also made significant contributions as India crossed the 550-run mark.However, Gavaskar stressed that success in one match should not divert attention from the broader objective of building consistency and resilience in Test cricket.He also warned against allowing habits from the shortest format to influence decision-making in red-ball cricket.“At times, there is a tendency to slip into a T20 mindset where patience becomes difficult after a few dot balls, and that can lead to poor decisions.”“Test cricket demands a different approach. India’s focus going forward should be on tightening their batting processes, building longer innings, and concentrating on the present rather than viewing every result through the lens of transition,” he said.While Gavaskar highlighted batting discipline as the primary area of improvement, India’s bowlers once again underlined their strength. Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna struck crucial blows with the new ball, while the spin trio of Suthar, Washington Sundar and Kuldeep Yadav shared 14 wickets between them.The standout performer was undoubtedly Suthar. The 23-year-old became only the 10th Indian overall and the seventh spinner from the country to claim a five-wicket haul on Test debut. His first-innings figures of 6/33 were the best by an Indian on Test debut in 38 years, and his seven wickets in the match earned him the Player of the Match award.
