'This is what happens when you try to boss around and change things unnecessary which were not broken.'
Virat Kohli's elder brother Vikas Kohli took a veiled jibe at Team India Coach Gautam Gambhir as the side continued to struggle on home soil in the longest format.
After losing the first Test against South Africa by 30 runs, India are precariously placed at 27-2 in the second Test in Guwahati. On the final day, they need 522 more runs to win and level the series, an outcome that seems highly unlikely.
In a Threads post, Vikas seemed to question the changes implemented by the current management, suggesting that unnecessary interferences have ruined a system that had previously delivered results for India in Tests.
Although he didn't mention anybody's name, the message could be interpreted as a reference to the coach and the shift in approach since he took charge.
'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 unnecessary that were not broken,' Vikas posted.
India's performance in Tests under Gambhir has been on the decline. The team has registered more defeats than victories during his tenure, including an unusual stretch of struggle at home.
The top six batters have averaged under 30 in this period, and India have repeatedly failed to post scores above 300, a sharp contrast from the consistency they once maintained.
This slump has coincided with Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma's retirements from Test cricket -- stalwarts who, for over a decade, anchored India's batting.
India suffered a 0-3 home series whitewash against New Zealand last year, followed by a 1-3 loss to Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy Down Under, during which they also missed out on the World Test Championship final.
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