India suffered their biggest Test loss in terms of runs as SA won the second Test by 408 runs.
This was the biggest loss for India in Test cricket in terms of runs, and the 0-2 clean sweep in the Test series was their second in two years, after New Zealand had blanked them 0-3 last year. This was also the first time South Africa won a Test series in India since their 0-2 series win in 2000 under Hansie Cronje.
Venkatesh Prasad voiced significant concern after India suffered their worst-ever loss at home, calling it a "disappointing display of tactics and skills."
Over four decades ago, India lost two Test series at home in two years, against the West Indies in 1983 and England in 1984/85.
"Really disappointed by how India is going about Test cricket. The all-rounder obsession is an absolute brain fade, especially when you don’t bowl them. Rank Poor tactics, poor skills, poor body language, and an unprecedented 2-0 series whitewash at home. Hope this does not get washed off with Test matches 9 months away and this negative approach changes," Prasad shared on X.
Prasad emphasized that Test cricket demands steady success in competitions like the Ranji Trophy and Duleep Trophy, even though IPL results can affect limited-overs choices.
He went on to say that it goes against the core values of Test cricket to rely on players with first-class averages below 40 or to select all-rounders just because they provide more batting depth.
“Need to play specialists, and players need to be picked on the basis of Ranji and Duleep Trophy in domestic cricket. Can pick in 50 overs based on IPL performance, but for Test cricket, the Ranji and Duleep trophies have to be the barometer. Yash Rathod, Shubham Sharma, Baba Indrajith, and Smaran Ravichandran are names most wouldn’t have heard of, as they don’t play IPL but consistently score runs in domestic cricket,” Prasad continued on X.
He also took a veiled dig at Sai Sudharsan's inclusion in the Indian Test team, saying that players with a sub-40 First Class average shouldn’t be playing Test cricket based solely on IPL performances.
Notably, Sai averages 38.67 in FC cricket and was included in the Indian Test squad ahead of the England tour based on his IPL 2025 performance, where he top-scored with 759 runs in 14 games.
"Can’t play sub-40 FC avg players in the Test team based on IPL performances. Playing an all-rounder in Indian conditions because he can bat is not the correct approach in Test cricket. Test cricket needs specialists. We all love Indian cricket, and it’s sad to see what’s been happening over the last year and a half just to somehow prove this flawed strategy right. Can’t function on such egos in the interest of Indian cricket. Truly disappointing," he added.