Gautam Gambhir
Gambhir defends India’s performance after Test series loss (Credits :"X"/Screen grab from Video)

Overview:

Gambhir was visibly frustrated and pointed out that Shubman Gill’s absence from the first Test, due to a neck injury in the opener, had impacted the team's performance.

India defeated South Africa 2-1 in the ODI series on Saturday, providing a sense of redemption after their humiliating clean sweep in the Test series. The first Test saw India fail to chase 124 in the fourth innings, and the second Test in Guwahati ended in a crushing 408-run defeat, the biggest loss India have ever suffered in Test cricket. India’s second Test whitewash under Gambhir’s coaching came with a heavy backlash. Critics questioned his suitability as a red-ball coach, were quick. During the post-series press conference on Saturday, Gambhir was visibly frustrated and pointed out that Shubman Gill’s absence from the first Test, due to a neck injury in the opener, had impacted the team’s performance.

“Look, there was plenty of talk, no doubt, because the results didn’t go our way. But what’s most surprising is that no one, not the media or any journal, mentioned that we played the first Test without a captain, who didn’t bat in either innings. The margin of difference was just 30 runs. Just because I don’t offer excuses in the press conference doesn’t mean the facts shouldn’t be shown to the world or the country,” Gambhir stated.

“When you’re going through a transition and lose your captain, who’s also an in-form batter in red-ball cricket, having scored around 1000 runs in the last seven Test matches, it’s obviously tough to get the results you want, especially against a team like this. There’s not much experience in red-ball cricket, and what’s surprising is that no one even mentioned it,” he added.

“There were so many discussions about the wickets and I’m not sure what else was said. People who have no connection to cricket started commenting. Even an IPL team owner (Parth Jindal) wrote about split coaching. That’s what’s surprising. It’s important for people to stick to their own areas of expertise. Just as we don’t interfere in someone else’s domain, they have no right to interfere in ours,” he mentioned.

Gambhir was referring to Parth Jindal, the co-owner of Delhi Capitals, who had proposed the idea of split coaching.

“Not even close, what a complete thrashing at home! Don’t remember seeing our Test side being so weak at home! This is what happens when red-ball specialists are not picked. This team is nowhere near reflective of the deep strength we possess in the red-ball format. Time for India to move to a specialist red-ball coach for Test cricket @BCCI,” Jindal had posted on X.

V M Suriya Narayanan is a passionate cricket writer who has been following the game since 2007. With a background in Civil Engineering (B.E.), he blends analytical thinking with a deep understanding of...