Batting stalwart Sunil Gavaskar has claimed the need for the Indian side to be smarter and more proactive in their approach to their game after their recent results away from home.

While the 3-0 sweep of Zimbabwe has looked promising, India’s results in England and Ireland have drawn much scrutiny from experts and fans alike. The Men in Blue, in their first assignment since the victorious T20 World Cup campaign in March of this year, were whitewashed 2-0 by a spirited Irish side in Belfast. This was followed by a 4-0 sweep in the five-match T20I series at the hands of England, losing their number 1 spot in the ICC rankings. India were also beaten 2-1 in the three-match ODI series, with the victory at Edgbaston being their only win on the tour.

Gavaskar has stated that the team needs to get better at picking its moments and playing smart cricket, based on the needs of the situation. Indian batters often struggled against short-pitched bowling in England, with Gavaskar identifying the need for the team to better pick their matchups.

“There is a lot of hard work ahead for the team. A good, honest reflection on what the shortcomings were and how to overcome them is the need of the hour. Shot selection is very important, and here the batter has to rein in his ego and not try to live up to an image, but play the ball on its merits. Above all, it’s necessary to play smart cricket. So, figure out the bowler who doesn’t need to be counter-attacked. Then target the bowlers against whom you can make up for the quiet over from the better bowler,” Gavaskar wrote in his column for Sportstar, as reported by the Hindustan Times

India were also let down by their fielding on the tour, falling prey to misfields and dropped chances. Gavaskar emphasised the need for the team’s collective improvement in fielding and execution of plans in game situations. He stated that there is no need for panic and that it is minor details that need improvement, which would come with introspection. 

“Most of all, it’s mandatory that if a player is an average fielder, he has to be shown the door. There is simply no way a captain has to hide three or four players, hoping the ball won’t go anywhere near them. The bowlers also must look at the slow bouncer once again and see how cleverly Sam Curran used the slow, loopy deliveries. As I said, there’s no need to press the emergency button as yet. However, there’s plenty of honest introspection needed. There also has to be a lot more thought put into the execution of each individual’s speciality if the Indian team is to get back to winning ways,” he added.

India will be in action next in the Test format, heading to Sri Lanka for a two-match series, which will commence on August 15. Colombo and Galle will play host to the series. 

Veteran all-rounders Jalaj Saxena and Aditya Sarvate have signed a reunion with Kerala ahead of the upcoming domestic season. Both the all-rounders were part of Kerala’s historic campaign in the 2024-25 season of the Ranji Trophy edition when the side made their first-ever appearance in a final.

Although Kerala lost to Vidarbha in the championship game, the duo were pivotal members in getting the team through to the finals. The Kerala Cricket Association is yet to confirm the development, but CricTracker reached out to Sarvate, where the Nagpur-born player confirmed that he is moving back to Kerala, having spent the last season with Chattisgarh, leaving Vidarbha – his home team.

Sarvate had impressed everyone on his Kerala debut, taking a nine-wicket haul in the first round game of the 2024-25 season. He then continued to contribute with the ball as well as the bat, proving to be the crisis man for the Sachin Baby-led side. His all-round skills peaked during the semi-final against Jammu & Kashmir, where his magical spell gave Kerala a stunning two-run lead to book the berth for the final.

Saxena, a veteran of the Indian domestic circuit, had been representing Kerala until last season when he moved to Maharashtra. Saxena had cited personal reasons behind his move to the western state, but he is now all set to come back south and bring his plethora of experience to the dressing room where he is a familiar face despite being a guest player.

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Former Indian cricketer Deep Dasgupta has urged Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to maintain and improve their form to ensure their places in India’s ODI side.

The two veterans featured in the three-match series in England. Despite the series ending 2-1 to the hosts, Kohli scored half-centuries in the final two games, and Rohit notched up his 34th ODI century in the final match, becoming the first Indian to score an ODI hundred at Lord’s after two failures in the series.

With India’s eye on the 2027 ODI World Cup and both players having expressed their desire to participate in the marquee competition, Dasgupta has urged the pair to maintain better performances and start the series well instead of waiting for the final few games to score runs, further emphasising the need for scores to maintain their places in the team.

“That has to be a conversation with everyone, not just them (Kohli and Rohit), that they have to start the series well and hit the ground running. That is a challenge. You can’t take one or two games to get into the groove. But that’s where the support staff comes in and has conversations with the players by creating an environment to get the best out of everyone. 

“There is no conversation needed with them about their places in the team. Four years back, it wasn’t like they had to be reminded before every series that they would be in the team. They knew they would be in the team based on their performances. So how does that change now? It does not and should not change,” Dasgupta said in a video on his YouTube channel.

The pair now features only in one format after retiring from Tests in 2025. Talks of the match at Lord’s being Rohit‘s final ODI were quickly dismissed by the BCCI after speculative reports emerged in the press. Dasgupta stated that because Kohli and Rohit play just one format, there will be more scrutiny on the pair’s performances and further reiterated that they should be the barrier for team selection. 

“This discussion about their future is getting exaggerated because they play only one format. When you play multiple formats, if you fail in one but score in the other, the failure is forgotten. So that’s a challenge for these two that can’t be denied. People will remember what they last did in this format because they play only one format. But the conversation with them should be the same as it was three years ago,” he added.

India‘s next ODI assignment is set to take place in late September, when they host the West Indies in a three-match series.