Colombo [Sri Lanka], August 22 (ANI): India head coach Gautam Gambhir said the team is going through a transition phase in Test cricket and dismissed concerns over rankings, stating that the side is moving in the right direction despite occasional setbacks.
Speaking at the pre-match press conference ahead of the second Test against Sri Lanka on Saturday, Gambhir said India have played consistent cricket in the longest format despite the challenges of a transition period.
"Not at all; we are not struggling that much. Rankings do not matter. I think we are going through a transition, and I'm sure that people sitting in the press box and in the commentary box know that we're going through a transition," Gambhir said.
"Despite that, yes, there will be blips, there will be ups and downs, but I thought that in the last year since the England tour, I think we've played reasonably consistent cricket in Test cricket as well," Gambhir added.
Since Gambhir took over as India's head coach, the Test team has undergone significant changes, with senior players Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravichandran Ashwin announcing their retirements from the longest format.
India also suffered home Test series defeats against New Zealand and South Africa and faced a challenging tour of Australia.
In the ongoing World Test Championship (WTC) cycle, India have secured five wins from 10 Tests and are currently placed fifth in the standings, behind Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Bangladesh.
The team also endured back-to-back home setbacks, including a 2-0 series loss to South Africa in 2025 after being whitewashed 3-0 by New Zealand in the previous WTC cycle. Gambhir remains the only India head coach under whose tenure the team has suffered two home Test series clean sweeps.
Gambhir said while rankings may be an indicator for others, the team management is focused on the direction in which Indian cricket is moving.
"You guys can go by the ranking, but we don't because we know where we are heading, and wherever we are heading, we're heading in the right direction," the head coach said.
The Indian coach also praised young players Devdutt Padikkal and Manav Suthar for making an immediate impact in the first Test against Sri Lanka.
India defeated Sri Lanka by 165 runs in the first Test, with Manav Suthar claiming a maiden 10-wicket haul and Devdutt Padikkal scoring 167 runs in the first innings.
Gambhir said it was encouraging to see young players stepping up but added that they should not be judged based on just one or two performances.
"Extremely satisfying because when you get those younger players coming in and delivering straight away. But again, there's still a lot of work to be done. You can't judge players by only one or two performances," he said.
He highlighted the importance of building depth in red-ball cricket, saying players like Padikkal and Suthar have shown promise after getting opportunities.
"There's a lot of talent; that's why they're playing for India, and they've delivered straight away, which is very good for Indian cricket as well because we want to see that depth not only in white-ball cricket but in red-ball cricket as well," Gambhir added. (ANI)
"Rankings do not matter": Gambhir says India heading in right direction in Tests amid team transition
