New Delhi: India may have registered the biggest innings victory in their Test history against Afghanistan, but the legendary Sunil Gavaskar He believes that the team’s biggest challenge is not with the ball but with the bat. India beat Afghanistan by an innings and 300 runs in the one-off Test at Milanpur on Monday, shattering their previous record win. The hosts scored 564 for 8, courtesy the centuries Shabman Gul And KL Rahulbefore dismissing Afghanistan for 152 and 112. Debutant left-arm spinner Manav Sothar took seven wickets in the match and was adjudged Man of the Match.Despite the impressive result, Gavaskar urged the team to stop looking at itself through the lens of transfer and instead focus on maintaining the standards expected of an Indian Test team.“It is time to move away from describing this team in a state of constant flux and instead focus on the standards expected in Test cricket,” Gavaskar said on JioStar’s ‘Cricket Live’.“Every team goes through periods of retirement, personnel changes, and evolution, but ultimately the focus has to be on performance.”India are currently navigating life without many senior players, with a young core led by captain Shubman Gill taking on more responsibility. However, Gavaskar argued that the conversation should not always revolve around transition.Looking back at India’s recent performance in the format, the batting legend identified the batting unit as an area that needed more attention.“Looking at some of India’s recent Test results, the batting rather than the bowling has been the biggest concern. The bowling attack has generally done its job, but the batsmen need to show more discipline and strong technique, especially in difficult conditions.”The former captain’s assessment came even as India put on a brilliant batting display against Afghanistan. Gayle and Rahul scored centuries, while Sai Sudharsan and Rishabh Pant also made key contributions as India crossed the 550-run mark.However, Gavaskar emphasized that success in one match should not distract from the wider goal of building consistency and resilience in Test cricket.He also cautioned against the habits of the shortest format influencing decision-making in red ball cricket.“Sometimes, there is a tendency to slip into a T20 mentality where patience becomes difficult after a few dot balls, and that can lead to poor judgement.”“Test cricket demands a different approach. India’s focus going forward should be to tighten up their batting, build longer innings, and focus on the present rather than looking at every result through the lens of transfer,” he said.With Gavaskar highlighting batting discipline as the main area for improvement, India’s bowlers once again highlighted their strengths. Mohammad Siraj and Parsed Krishna struck with the new ball, while the spin trio of Sothar, Washington Sundar and Kuldeep Yadav took 14 wickets between them.The standout performer was undoubtedly Satar. The 23-year-old became only the 10th Indian overall and the country’s seventh spinner to take five wickets on Test debut. His first innings figures of 6/33 were the best for an Indian on a Test debut in 38 years, and his seven wickets in the match earned him Player of the Match.
