South Africa legend advises India to 'shorten IPL' after home Test series debacle

KARACHI: Former South Africa cricketer Herschelle Gibbs stressed that India should shorten their Indian Premier League (IPL) and play more Test cricket to "improve" following their 2-0 home series defeat at the hands of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) holders on Wednesday.

India, who featured in two consecutive finals of the WTC, including the inaugural edition, have been struggling in the longest format at home since their 3-0 whitewash at the hands of New Zealand in November last year.

After touring Australia and England for five-match series earlier this year, they hosted West Indies for a two-match assignment and won it comprehensively 2-0.

India, however, failed to continue their winning run in Tests at home as they were outclassed by the reigning world Test champions in the two-match series, which was concluded in Guwahati earlier today.

Their recent fallout in Tests at home prompted concerns from fans, one of whom asked Gibbs to share his opinion on how the Asian side could script a turnaround.

In response, Gibbs gave a short and subtle opinionated advice, stating India should "Shorten IPL and play more test cricket."

Another fan argued that the IPL has no impact on Test cricket, to which Gibbs replied, "The question was what should India do mate."

For the unversed, India's shortcomings in any format are often linked to their IPL, which has been expanded to an astonishing two-month tournament since the addition of Gujarat Titans and Lucknow Super Giants in the 2022 edition.

However, contrary to Gibbs's advice, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), earlier this year, hinted at the further expansion of the lucrative league to 94 matches from its 2028 edition without the addition of teams.