At the post-match conference, team India's head coach, Gautam Gambhir, made it clear that the team's performance in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy wasn't great because the players weren't participating enough in domestic cricket. Irfan Pathan, who also played cricket in the past, agreed with him. Mr Pathan made an important point about how India shouldn't simply focus on having superstar players but instead work on building a strong team atmosphere.

In addition, he brought up Virat Kohli, questioning when was the last time he played in domestic cricket, to highlight that every player, no matter how famous, needs to play at the domestic level too.

Gautam Gambhir, the head coach, was really unhappy after India didn't do well in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Mr. Gambhir made it extremely unmistakeable how much he thinks domestic cricket matters. Mr. Gambhir said that everyone who can and really cares about red-ball cricket should be hitting the domestic cricket scene. Not only showing up for a single game--but genuinely playing it.

Mr. Gambhir put it straight, saying if you don't take domestic cricket seriously you're not going to end up with players who've honed what it takes for Test cricket. That's how crucial he thinks playing at home is.

Gambhir was pretty cautious when someone asked him what he thought might happen to major names in Indian cricket, like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, in the future. I can't speak about their future it's to them but what I can say is that they still have the hunger and passion. They are tough individuals, and I hope they continue to carry Indian cricket forward.

Ultimately, whatever they decide will be in the best interest of Indian cricket, he carefully mentioned. This was right after India didn't win the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, something that hadn't happened for the first time in more than ten years. Gambhir called out the senior players because they've been skipping domestic games for a while now.

During a discussion on a post

What happens in the dressing room, should stay in the dressing room!

— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) January 1, 2025

Pathan said that even Sachin Tendulkar, who everyone knows is a legendary player, always made sure he played in local matches to stay fit and keep practicing. He pointed out that sometimes, Tendulkar's first-innings average was below 30, but he thought this was crucial for starting the match correctly. Then Pathan threw out a question, asking if India should institute a prize for it.

He further remarked that if a young player were given as many chances as some of the senior players, they could at least match or exceed similar performances. Pathan concluded by acknowledging Virat Kohli's many contributions to Indian cricket but expressed his disappointment at the repeated mistakes and dismissals, noting that it was disheartening to see such errors continue despite his past success.

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