Overview
- Dasgupta made the call on his YouTube channel on Saturday, August 1, arguing India should stop chasing immediate World Test Championship qualification to focus on longer-term rebuilding.
- He warned India face a steep path to the WTC final with nine Tests remaining and said roughly seven wins from those nine would likely be needed to qualify.
- Dasgupta singled out batting against spin as the team's main short-term problem and urged the management to prioritise technique and role clarity for scorers on turning pitches.
- He backed including Kuldeep Yadav in the playing eleven for the Sri Lanka Tests and noted the touring squad is spin-heavy with Ravindra Jadeja, Manav Suthar and Saransh Jain available while Washington Sundar is ruled out of the first Test with a hamstring injury.
- Dasgupta said questions will be asked of coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Shubman Gill if results do not improve and he framed the Sri Lanka tour starting August 15 as an early test of whether the current transition is producing progress.