Ranchi: India head coach Gautam Gambhir during a training session on the eve of the first cricket match of the ODI series between India and South Africa in Ranchi, Jharkhand. (PTI Photo/Kamal Kishore) (PTI11_29_2025_000171A) NEW DELHI: After dominating at home for 12 straight years without losing a single Test series, India have now lost two of their last three – losing 3-0 to New Zealand last year and losing 2-0 to South Africa this season. Both setbacks came under head coach Gautam Gambhir, who took charge in July 2024. The 408-run defeat in Guwahati was India’s heaviest run loss in Test cricket.Instead of admitting his mistakes as a coach after another domestic debacle, Gambhir highlighted his successes, including a 2-2 Test series draw in England where India should have won 3-1 and where his obsession with extra batting cushion forced bowler Kuldeep Yadav to warm the bench all summer.
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He even pointed to his Champions Trophy and Asia Cup victories this year. India were the best team in the Champions Trophy – skill-wise they were the better side – but we cannot forget that India were housed in the same hotel in downtown Dubai and played all their matches at the same venue while the other teams traveled back and forth from Pakistan, including the hosts. It wasn’t something the Men in Blue had asked for, but the circumstances gave them a slight advantage over their opponents.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SIGN UP NOW!In September, under coach Gambhir, India lifted the Asia Cup – their second white-ball title – after defeating arch-rivals Pakistan in the final. India were once again the favourites, and despite experimenting with the middle order during the tournament, won the cup.The two tournament wins boosted the trophy cabinet, but it is curious that the southpaw, who played a key role in India’s wins in the 2007 T20 World Cup and the 2011 ODI World Cup final, is celebrating an Asia Cup victory – something that does not sit well with India’s cricketers.“I’m the same guy who got results in England too, with a young team. And I’m sure you’ll forget that soon because a lot of people keep talking about New Zealand. And I’m the same guy under whom we won the Champions Trophy and the Asia Cup,” he told reporters in Guwahati.
Head Coach Gautam Gambhir
These comments do not reflect the ferocity and heart-on-sleeve attitude that Gambhir is known for. They sound like they come from someone who is at sea with his thoughts, shaken by recent results and clearly struggling to find the right template in the Tests.There were mentions of devotees transitioning and leaving, as well as inexperience in the dressing room.“I don’t think anything like that has happened in Indian cricket where there is a transition in the spin-bowling department and also in the batting department,” he mentioned.However, Cheteshwar Pujara disagreed with the head coach’s argument and called it an excuse.“I’m not buying what India is losing at home because of the transition. I can’t stomach it,” Pujara told television stations after India lost by 30 runs in Kolkata.“If you lose in England or Australia because of the transition, it might be acceptable. But this team has talent and potential. You look at the first-class record of all the players – Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill… Washy (Washington Sundar) was batting at No. 3 in this game – all their records are so good. Still, if you lose something at home, it means something.”
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That 3-0 loss against New Zealand last year cost India a place in the World Test Championship (WTC) final and this defeat to South Africa has moved them to fifth position in the current WTC table, behind Australia, South Africa, Sri Lanka and Pakistan.India’s Test future is in the doldrums and Gambhir’s legacy is now in danger of being defined as the coach under whom India’s iron grip at home finally cracked.
