“Not serious about Test cricket anymore” - Ex-Indian cricketer lashes out at Indian players after the whitewash to South Africa

Madan Lal criticizes India’s Test selection, saying players aren’t serious about red-ball cricket and are picked on IPL form, not Ranji performances, after the home whitewash to South Africa.

By Waqas 30 Nov 2025 in Cricket

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Former Indian cricketer Madan Lal has lashed out at the Ajit Agarkar-led Indian selection committee for not being serious in terms of the Indian team selection in the longest format of the game. His comments came after India’s second consecutive Test series whitewash at home to a SENA nation.

Speaking exclusively to Sportstar, Lal stated that the Indian Test team selection should be completely based on the performances in the Ranji Trophy, instead of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

"I got the impression that these players are not serious about Test cricket anymore. I would call it the IPL effect, where the mentality is to hit every delivery for a six or a four," Madan Lal told Sportstar.

"At times, I kept wondering that if you are going to pick players based on their IPL performances, then what's the need for playing the Ranji Trophy. That's your ultimate platform to find players who can bat for long, but it seems like they are turning a blind eye towards the premier tournament," said Lal.

Furthermore, Lal went on to reckon that though it was a collective failure, adding that both the head coach Gautam Gambhir and the Indian players are equally responsible for the Test series whitewash to the Proteas.

"It's a collective failure. It's easiest to sack the coach. Yes, he has made mistakes, but putting all the blame on him is also not fair, because at the end of the day, the players, too, have made mistakes. The head coach and the players are equally accountable," the former cricketer concluded.

While India suffered a 30-run defeat to South Africa in the first Test in Kolkata, they faced a 408-run drubbing in the second Test in Guwahati. India will get a long break from Test cricket until the conclusion of the IPL 2026 season. They are currently reeling down at the fifth rank in the WTC 2025-27 standings after their most recent whitewash to South Africa.

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