Virat Kohli’s elder brother, Vikas Kohli, appeared to take a subtle dig at Team India’s management as the side faces difficulties in the ongoing second Test against South Africa in Guwahati. His remarks, posted on Threads and later deleted, highlighted concerns over recent decisions and the exclusion of senior players.

Vikas Kohli’s Criticism

In his post, Vikas suggested that unnecessary changes in the team’s setup had disrupted a system that had previously delivered consistent results. Though he did not name head coach Gautam Gambhir directly, his statements were widely interpreted as a veiled critique of the current leadership.

“There was a time that we played to win even in overseas conditions.... Now we are playing to save the match....even in India. This is what happens when you try to boss around and change things unnecessarily, which were not broken....”

He also compared India’s approach to South Africa’s:

• Team India: Senior experienced players removed, top-order batting compromised, reliance on all-rounders.
• South Africa: Maintains specialist openers, middle-order batters, spinners, fast bowlers, and perhaps one all-rounder.

Vikas questioned accountability, asking, “WHO IS RESPONSIBLE???”, while emphasizing that he still wants India to succeed.

Team India’s Recent Performance Woes

Under Gambhir, India’s Test results have steadily declined, including:

• Frequent failures to cross 300 runs in the top order (averaging below 30).
• Home defeats: 3-0 whitewash by New Zealand in the previous year.
• Away struggles: 3-1 loss to Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, missing out on the World Test Championship final.

The ongoing two-match series against South Africa has also started poorly for India, with the team losing the first Test by 30 runs and now struggling at 27/2, still needing 522 runs to level the series.

Vikas Kohli’s comments reflect growing concerns among fans and former players about strategic decisions and team selection in India’s post-Kohli and Rohit Sharma era, highlighting the challenges faced by the current management in maintaining the team’s historic standards.