# Rahane urges India to restore patience and fight in Test cricket 2026-08-06T00:30:24+00:00 | India | Indian Opinion Desk Ajinkya Rahane, speaking on his first podcast outing since he stepped away from international cricket, told The Times of India that India's Test side has lost the calm temperament and resolve that once carried it to success and needs to rediscover it. Grinding through a tough spell and seeing out a hard session, he argued, is what the format actually rewards rather than forcing the pace. Under head coach Gautam Gambhir, India have claimed two ICC white-ball titles over the last two years, yet they have also been swept in two home Test rubbers and now sit fifth on the World Test Championship table. Rahane linked that slide to Ravichandran Ashwin, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli all leaving the side inside a six month window. The two match Test series against Sri Lanka gets under way in Galle on 15 August. ## Indian Opinion Analysis Rahane is describing a team he no longer plays for, and nothing here carries a response from Gambhir, the selectors or the players he is implicitly discussing. Three senior retirements inside six months and two home series lost are real, but selection calls, injuries and a crowded calendar could explain just as much of the recent record, and none of those alternatives gets weighed against his account here. The two-Test series against Sri Lanka that starts in Galle on 15 August is where India's Test side next gets to show whether the patience Rahane is calling for actually returns. ## Coverage - timesofindia.indiatimes.com Tags: Ajinkya Rahane, Gautam Gambhir Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/respect-senior-players-rahane-warns-gambhir-amid-indias-test-struggles/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/respect-senior-players-rahane-warns-gambhir-amid-indias-test-struggles/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.