After India lost by 30 runs in the first Test of the two-match series against South Africa, former Indian batsman Robin Uthappa defended Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir after the latter had been singled out.
According to Uthappa, the players were more responsible for the loss than the coach. When Rahul Dravid was the national team’s coach, the former wicketkeeper-batter claimed he couldn’t understand why he was consistently criticised.
“I came across a statement yesterday that implied I was supporting GG. My friend, it’s not like the coach is playing outside. Coach Thodi Jaake Khel Raha Hai Andar. You must consider the whole picture, even when we are focussing on the outcomes and pointing the finger at a coach. To me, their criticism of Rahul Dravid seemed illogical. It is difficult to score twenty to thirty thousand runs internationally. In a YouTube video, Uthappa said, “So if he can be trolled, anyone can be trolled.”
Although Gambhir has achieved great success in the white-ball format this year, winning the Asia Cup and the Champions Trophy, Test cricket has proven to be a much more difficult task for him. In the 18 games during Gambhir’s reign, the defeat in Kolkata was India’s ninth.
According to Gambhir, the team management had requested a spin-friendly pitch, and the batting department’s performance—rather than the pitch itself—was the issue.
Sunil Gavaskar and other veterans supported Gambhir’s opinion, saying that the pitch was not a problem for the home team.
After being bowled out for 93, India was unable to pursue 124. After taking the lead, the Proteas won the Test by a margin of three. The Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati will host the second game starting on November 22.
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