In the face of growing criticism of Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir following India’s Test series defeat to South Africa, former Indian cricket player Sunil Gavaskar has publicly defended the latter. Gambhir’s third series loss in Test cricket under his leadership was against South Africa.
He asked Gambhir’s detractors why the former left-handed hitter was not given enough credit for his recent victories.
A coach may help you get ready, mentor you, and share all of his knowledge, but once you go onto the pitch, it’s up to the players to perform. Why point the finger at Gambhir now if you didn’t give him credit for winning the 2025 Asia Cup or the 2025 Champions Trophy? In an interview with India Today, Gavaskar said, “You can’t just respond to the losses and ignore the victories.”
Gavaskar asserted that the players, not the coach, were responsible for their performance once they were on the pitch.
Social media is ablaze with discussion about Gambhir’s coaching position. The World Cup-winning member has come under fire on social media from the cricket community, particularly Indian cricket fans, for India’s decline in domestic Test domination during his tenure.
Regarding India’s Test series against the Proteas, they suffered a 30-run defeat in the series opener at Eden Gardens. The Temba Bavuma-led team won the low-scoring match.
The tourists completely dominated the second Test at Guwahati. They broke a number of other records and thrashed India by 408 runs to defeat them in a Test series in India after a 25-year hiatus.
The Men in Blue will now play three One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and five Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) against South Africa. Commencing on November 14, the all-format series will end on December 19. After the series concludes, it is unclear what will be decided regarding Gambhir.
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