At the end of November 2025, Gautam Gambhir sat in a brimming media room in Guwahati, trying to make sense of the past fortnight in which an anomaly for the Indian team had transformed into a full-blown bad habit. South Africa outspun and outthought them, carrying on the trend from the previous November when New Zealand had done the honours. India were officially vulnerable at home. So, it seemed, was Gambhir. The interaction that afternoon, after India had surrendered early on the fifth morning, ventured into territory where the head coach showed the kind of defiance his batters couldn't summon on the field.

Gambhir refused to let the New Zealand series shape the narrative of his tenure as head coach, and served reminders that he was still the man who delivered an Asia Cup and a Champions Trophy. Since that near-monologue of achievements, India have added another T20 World Cup to their trophy cabinet. But the cobwebs and a mace-shaped void in the Test compartment are unmissable. After reaching the first two World Test Championship finals, India have slipped into a Jekyll-and-Hyde existence between formats.

The ground beneath India in Tests has been shaky for some time now. Many of the cracks that surfaced against South Africa remain unaddressed. Gambhir spoke of a unique situation where India were simultaneously in transition with both bat and ball against South Africa. They've not played a WTC Test since, and now arrive in Sri Lanka without having accounted for them.

Sai Sudharsan's trajectory since the England tour in 2025 has been an awkward dance of one step forward, two back - the latest stumble coming through an injury. Washington Sundar, who was backed to fill the gargantuan boots of Ravichandran Ashwin, has also been sidelined, and his like-for-like replacement in the squad is an all-rounder with plenty of domestic miles in his legs, but uncapped in Tests.

Jasprit Bumrah's knee troubles further exacerbate India's predicament, threatening to usher in a post-Bumrah world sooner than expected, one they might not yet be ready for. Mohammed Siraj has proved he can do a lot of heavy lifting without Bumrah as part of a fast-bowling duet, but his current co-conspirators haven't done enough to allay India's concerns. Prasidh Krishna, who vowed to repair his lengths and economy since the Tests in England, hasn't quite succeeded while the other two pace options are both yet to play the format at this level.

India's biggest bugbear, laid bare by South Africa and Simon Harmer across two Tests, was their batting temperament against spin and their tendency to be truly dumbfounded by the vagaries of the pitch. Sri Lanka would have spent hours poring over that footage and gleaning ideas from it, both for their bowling combinations and the pitch they should prepare to compound India's woes.

Gambhir can yet feel some of the tension in his shoulders easing heading into this series as the Rubik's cube of India's Test team falls back into place with Shubman Gill fit and ready to go again. India could do with his leadership and, more crucially, a bucketload of his runs. After he came through what was a litmus test of his leadership in England, this Sri Lanka tour, comparatively, should feel like a carpet rolled out for consolidation.

Two big results over the next 16 days will allow India to mend their wobbly WTC campaign for the 2025-27 cycle. Another run to the final might yet be fanciful, but at the very least they could push to compete. Between now and the summit clash in June 2027 at The Oval, India have two Tests in New Zealand and five at home against Australia after this Sri Lankan sojourn. There'll be a jostle for points, percentages and positioning. Gambhir might find himself in the media room again, this time with the hope of reshaping the narrative instead of dead-batting against it.