After India’s 0–2 series loss to South Africa, former head coach Ravi Shastri was blunt in his assessment of the team’s deteriorating performance in Test cricket under current coach Gautam Gambhir. Gautam Gambhir has managed five Test series since taking over last year, but he has only won one—a home bilateral against the West Indies in October.
Gautam Gambhir has been under fire from both fans and experts for India’s lacklustre performance against the Proteas in the second Test in Guwahati. After being bowled out for 201 in response to South Africa’s commanding 489 in the first innings, Shastri emphasised that the Indian hitters need to shoulder more of the blame for the team’s miserable collapse.
“You inform me. You skip from 100/1 to 130/7 in Guwahati, and this team isn’t all that awful either. They have adequate talent, so the team isn’t all that horrible. As a result, this is where the players must also assume responsibility. In a teaser podcast that Prabhat Khabar issued, Shastri stated, “You have played spin since you were a child.”
“I’m not trying to shield [him].” 100% (he is also accountable). At what point am I saying otherwise? If this had happened to me, I would have been the first to accept responsibility. Agar yeh mere saath hota, main pehla responsibility leta. However, he adds, “I wouldn’t have spared the players either in the team meeting.”
Ravi Shastri became the nation’s most successful Test coach between 2012 and 2024, a time when India demonstrated almost complete domination at home.
India attained a 65% victory record in all formats during his tenure from 2017 to 2021. Together with Virat Kohli, he led the Test team to become a formidable force, winning India’s first two Test series in Australia. Their supremacy also enabled India to advance to the first-ever World Test Championship final in 2021 and maintain their top spot in the ICC Test rankings for 42 months (2016–2021).
In August 2026, India will play a two-match Test series in Sri Lanka as their next red-ball assignment. With four victories from nine games, they are now ranked fifth on the WTC 2025–27 points table.
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