'Don't expect miracles. India will struggle': Ex-chief selector's merciless takedown as Gambhir, Gill steer transition

Kiran More, a former chairman of selectors has issued a big warning to head coach Gautam Gambhir ahead of the upcoming five-match Test series between India and England, beginning June 20. More said it will take at least two years for the current Indian side to become a good Test side, and hence, patience needs to be shown with the youngsters. Gautam Gambhir issued a warning ahead of the England tour as he has been advised to “not expect miracles”(PTI)

Chairman of Selectors Ajit Agarkar announced an 18-member India squad for the series against England on Saturday afternoon. Shubman Gill was named the new Test captain while Rishabh Pant will act as his deputy.

After Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli retired from Test cricket, several youngsters have gotten a chance in the main squad. It remains to be seen who bats at No.4 in Kohli's place.

Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Arshdeep Singh, and Kuldeep Yadav have earned call-ups for the England tour. The management has opted to go in with a young bunch for the new World Test Championship (WTC) cycle, beginning with the series between India and England.

More also made a sarcastic comment, saying India would need 3-4 openers in the series against England. He doesn't expect the first-choice batters to have a good outing, as the UK is a tough place for batters to excel.

“You are going to need 3-4 openers on this tour because you are playing in England. I don't expect any miracles on this tour because I think India are going to struggle,” More said on ‘Follow The Blues’ show before India's squad announcement for the England tour.

“I think India will take two years to make a good Test team,” he added.

More questions Agarkar and Gambhir

While speaking on the same show, Kiran More also questioned Ajit Agarkar and Gambhir regarding their strategy behind delaying the transition. He said that the management should have prepared for life without Kohli and Rohit, considering the results in the last few series.

"I'm surprised. The whole selection committee and coach should've thought about this, that this transition was going to come. Now, suddenly, everybody has woken up and now they're asking who should be the next captain. They should've been prepared. I feel we haven't prepared for 1.5 years; this is a big wake-up call for us," he stated.

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma announced their Test retirements earlier this month. The duo had been battling poor form in the longest format for some time, and they brought the curtain down on their Test careers ahead of the England tour.

During the squad announcement, Ajit Agarkar revealed that Kohli contacted him in April to inform him about his Test retirement decision.

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