Former India batter Ajinkya Rahane has urged the Indian Test side to find the grit and touch that had played a key role in the past in making the team strongest sides in world cricket. Speaking in his first podcast since announcing his retirement from international cricket, Rahane talked about India's recent performances in Test cricket, stressing the need of having more senior cricketers in Tests. 

Notably, India have achieved great success in limited-overs cricket under head coach Gautam Gambhir, lifting two ICC white-ball trophies over the past two years, but the team's performance in Test cricket has been incredibly frustrating. Consecutive home series whitewashes have made things really difficult. 

“Because I haven’t been playing Test cricket for the last two years, I’ve been sitting at home, watching the Indian team lose matches even in India as well. I think Test cricket needs character. You need to build such characters and play competitive cricket. That’s what’s important. Playing session out. You don’t see many teams do that. I don’t want to pinpoint any team, but you want to see people play out those tough sessions,” Rahane said on the Stick to Cricket podcast.

“Test cricket fans are actual cricket lovers. What we built apart from the last two years when new players came in Test cricket, I still feel Test cricket needs 7-8 senior players and 2-3 younger players. What we are actually seeing now is that all the players are actually new. There’s hardly any senior cricketer left. So, Test cricket needs that,” Rahane said.

Rahane also expressed his concerns over the future of Test cricket. 

“Frankly, yes I do (fear for Test cricket). Because the way it is going, we all want Test cricket to survive, to be there – India, England, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa. These 4-5 teams specially. Because what I have seen in the last 2-3 years, you need to keep and respect the senior players, especially because with the Indian team, all the senior players going out together at once, that’s been the issue.”

India are set to tour Sri Lanka for a two-match Test series starting on August 15. The series is crucial in terms of World Test Championship (WTC), with India India currently occupying fifth place in the standings that puts them in a challenging position.