The year 2025 was full of challenges for the Indian Test team, which suffered a 0-2 defeat in the home series against South Africa, marking India’s second clean sweep at home in the last 13 months. Previously, in November 2024, New Zealand defeated India 0-3. Following these results, captain Shubman Gill has unveiled a new plan for Test cricket preparation, aiming for a strong comeback in 2026 and preparing for the 2027 World Test Championship final.

What is Shubman Gill’s new plan to improve Team India’s Test performance in 2026?

According to media reports, Gill has suggested holding a red-ball training camp of at least 15 days before every Test series. According to a board source, Gill believes that the team hasn’t had enough time to prepare before Test series due to the busy schedule in recent seasons. Therefore, he advocated for a longer training camp.

With this demand, Gill is now demonstrating clear thinking and leadership skills at the captaincy level. He is openly communicating his strategy to the selectors and the board, which is considered a good sign for the future of Indian cricket.

Gill, who has taken over the responsibility of the Test and ODI teams after Rohit Sharma, will need to firmly stick to his decisions. India’s schedule in 2025 was extremely busy. Just days after winning the Asia Cup in Dubai, the team played a home Test series against the West Indies. Furthermore, there was very little time between the last T20 match against Australia and the first Test against South Africa.

However, with multiple white-ball series planned for 2026, it will be difficult to organize a 15-day camp before each Test series. The report also states that if head coach Gautam Gambhir is busy with the white-ball teams, the board may consider using VVS Laxman, the head of cricket at the Centre of Excellence, to oversee the red-ball camp.