“They should forget what has happened in the last 10 to 12 years” - Harbhajan Singh offers a piece of advice to the Indian team

Former Indian spinner and commentator Harbhajan Singh has opened up on India’s Test series drubbing by South Africa at home. Interestingly, this was India’s second consecutive Test series whitewash at home after earlier losing to New Zealand by 0-3 last year.

Harbhajan asserted that the Indian Test team got so used to playing so many matches on wickets where matches last for two to three days. Interestingly, the first Test in Kolkata got concluded in three days, which raised the eyebrows of many.

"We do not know how to play matches for five years. We have got so used to playing so many matches on wickets where matches last for two-three days. After 2011-12, there are so many of such matches and very few go to the fifth day. Such pitches were not a norm back in the day. Nowadays, it has reduced averages of our batters like Virat Kohli, Pujara, Rahane to 35-40 from 50. You cannot play slowly or fast on these pitches. There is nothing left on these pitches for the batters. Our old greats were greats because they knew how to play five days of Test match cricket,” Harbhajan Singh said.

"For the betterment of Indian cricket, I think they should forget what has happened in the last 10 to 12 years, what pitches they have played on. Leave those wins behind. They look good in records, fine, but start playing on better wickets to save the future generation of Indian cricket," he added.

"The kind of temperament needed to play Test cricket requires effort, hard work, discipline, and I feel that for many years this has been missing. Because matches get over in two-and-a-half or three days, everyone goes home, the broadcaster suffers separately, people who bought tickets suffer separately," he said.

"But what happens on a good wicket? A good wicket makes the game last five days. And then you find out who the real winner is. This lottery-type situation, earlier New Zealand got lucky, now South Africa got lucky in the first match, because the pitch was such that no one even knew what was going to happen," he concluded.

With the 408-run drubbing in the second Test of the two-match series, India slid down to the fifth rank in the World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 standings. Interestingly, Pakistan moved up to the fourth rank.

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