India, Nov. 26 -- India's 408-run implosion in Guwahati has triggered the usual noise about intent, technique, and temperament. But Parthiv Patel went straight for the jugular on Star Sports - not the player's effort, but the very way India are picking their Test XI.

For him, this wasn't just a bad day in the office. It was the logical outcome of a confused selection philosophy that is loading the team with all-rounders and starving it of specialists in a format built on roles and clarity.

Parthiv's central argument is brutally simple: India aren't losing because their players aren't trying; they are losing because the XI is structurally wrong.

"There are two things. One is the mistake of the coach. The batters and bowlers are doing th...