Gautam Gambhir, the head coach, has come under heavy fire for India’s terrible performance in the second Test match against South Africa in Guwahati. Legendary spinner Anil Kumble questioned Gambhir’s pre-series remarks, stating that the squad must support their words with performance as India faces another home series annihilation.
South Africa won by 30 runs in Kolkata to go to the Guwahati Test. In the second Test, the Temba Bavuma-led squad once again outperformed India in every aspect. The home team’s problems were demonstrated by India’s first innings score of 201 in response to South Africa’s 489. To exacerbate the situation, the visitors kept gaining ground, surpassing 500 by lunch on Day 4.
Gambhir was seen pointing fingers and encouraging his players to fight in an intense huddle prior to the start of Day 4. Simultaneously, a video from the previous year in which Gambhir stated that he wanted India to score 400 in a single day and bat two days if necessary was repeated by broadcasters.
Anil Kumble responded to this exact statement in an on-air message.
“You simply need to support those statements. The world cricket championship-winning team is your opponent today (WTC). There is no greater opportunity to demonstrate your character and succeed. At least we fight it out and make sure we don’t lose if we don’t win. Yes, those statements are acceptable, but you also need to support them with performance,” Anil Kumble remarked.
However, Kumble’s comment was pertinent given India’s frequent batting failures. India’s shot selection was exposed by Marco Jansen’s spell, which was his first five-wicket haul outside of South Africa. Jansen destroyed India’s lineup with figures of 6/48 while using bouncers. Keshav Maharaj and Simon Harmer took advantage of India’s middle order even more.
Certain dismissals, like Jaiswal’s edge because of more bounce and Sudharsan’s pull, were reasonable. However, Dhruv Jurel and Rishabh Pant’s subsequent actions were reckless. Just before tea, Jurel made the unnecessary decision to top-edge to mid-on with India already reeling. Pant, the recently chosen captain, tried a lofted shot after the break but came up just short. After nine overs, India’s score was 21/1, and the Proteas were given a target of 549.
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