Historic blow to Indian cricket, new zealand Won the ODI series 2-1 by defeating on Sunday India Defeat by 41 runs at Holkar Stadium, Indore. This is the first time the Black Caps have won a bilateral ODI series on Indian soil, and completes an impressive tour following their earlier whitewash of the hosts in a Test series.
Despite a brilliant 54th ODI century Virat Kohli (124 runs from 108 balls), chasing a strong target of 338 runs, India were all out for 296 runs in 46 overs. New Zealand’s total score was driven by a huge partnership of 219 runs between the two. darryl mitchell And glen phillips. Mitchell, who played a brilliant inning of 137 runs, was named both Player of the Match and Player of the Series, scoring 352 runs at an impressive average of 176.
After the defeat in the ODI series, fans expressed anger over the coaching tenure of Gautam Gambhir.
The defeat has sparked anger on social media, with fans primarily expressing their frustration at the head coach Gautam Gambhir. While the Indian team secured the Champions Trophy in 2025, their performance in bilateral series has been consistently erratic. Critics were quick to point out that under Gambhir’s watch, India have now suffered series defeats Sri Lanka, Australia And new zealand.
The reaction continues on social media, with Gambhir’s dismissal trending across all platforms. Fans are questioning the tactical changes and aggressive selection policies which have led to established stars being sidelined in favor of young talents who are yet to find consistency. This discontent was reflected in the atmosphere in Indore, as the celebration of Kohli’s century soon turned to euphoria after a lower-order collapse, leaving the chase master trapped and eventually dismissed in the 46th over.
Gambhir is being criticized for his selection controversies and strategic failures.
Apart from the series defeat, Gambhir’s technically low average and lack of tactical flexibility due to his leadership has become the focal point of debate. Fans criticized the decision to bench the leading left-arm fast bowler Arshdeep Singh In the first two matches, he returned only in the third ODI and immediately took three wickets. This perceived over-use is being blamed for the team’s inability to build momentum.
Furthermore, the dismissal of Rohit SharmaDue to the sudden change in captaincy and Test team, supporters have termed Gambhir’s tenure as chaotic. With India now entering a five-month hiatus from ODI and Test cricket, pressure is mounting on the BCCI to review Gambhir’s situation. Supporters argue that his intention to modernize the team is clear, but the results are failing to justify the cost of losing India’s long-standing domestic dominance.
Here’s how fans reacted:
#GautamGambhir He has proved to be a very bad coach for Team India. @bcci Now a better coach should be found. From Test glory to ODI glory, there is humiliation all around in every department.
– Parth Chaturvedi (@_mrcaturvedi) 19 January 2026
You have a once in a lifetime opportunity under the world cricket bodies #GautamGambhir Please come and improve your records in India @bcci @ACBofficials @ECB_Cricket @OfficialSLC @cricketaus @ICC @Sanjayamanjarekar #INDVSNZODI
– Free Spirit (@amitsaxena_) 19 January 2026
India has never lost a home ODI series against New Zealand.
Serious:#GautamGambhir #INDvsNZ pic.twitter.com/8mWRQGnPVT
– Pwan Dookia (@pwnprakash) 19 January 2026
Gautam Gambhir’s amazing CV:
1) Losing home Test series to New Zealand (whitewash)
2) Lost home test series to South Africa
3)Border lost Gavaskar Trophy in Australia
4) Lost ODI series against Sri Lanka again
5) Lost ODI series against Australia
6) Lost ODI series against New Zealand@grok Please attest it#GautamGambhirโฆ pic.twitter.com/C12gNiV4in
โ CA Nitin Kaushik (FCA) | LLB (@Finance_Bareeek) 19 January 2026
๐๐ป๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฎ Under serious (๐ง๐ฒ๐๐/๐ข๐๐๐)
– After 27 years, no bilateral ODI series lost against Sri Lanka
โ For the first time, lost 30 wickets in a 3-match ODI series
โ After 45 years, India remains winless in ODIs in a calendar year
– After 36 years, India lost the test to New Zealand on home ground
– 19 years later,โฆ pic.twitter.com/aP4Hc4dqZU– ๐บ๐๐๐๐๐ (@Shebas_10dulkar) 18 January 2026
Address the elephant in the room as soon as possible and fix it otherwise it will be too late #INDvsNZ
-Manoj Tiwari (@tiwarymanoj) 18 January 2026
– No Williamson
โ No Santner
– No Latham
โ No Ravindra
โ No Chapman
– No Ferguson
โ no henry
– No Duffy
– No O’Rourke
โ No SodhiNew Zealand’s ‘B’ team defeated India on its own soil#INDvNZ #viratkohil #GautamGambhir
โ Dhananjay Dhruva (@dhananjay_dhruv) 19 January 2026
I think #GautamGambhir
Certainly suspicious and responsible for the embarrassing 1-2-4 series loss on home soil, which has never happened before in Test, T20 and now ODI,
what an insult #INDvsNZ– Kilwish (@kilwish16) 18 January 2026
GG Yug and Gil-e-Har Captain!#INDvsNZ #GautamGambhir #bcci #shubhmangil #IndianCricketTeam pic.twitter.com/Oy0BcGcuED
โ Deepak Pandey (@i_Deepak_Pandey) 18 January 2026
Gautam Gambhir as ICT Coach:
– After this BGT lost 4-1.
-Lost ODI series vs Sri Lanka.
โ Lost home Test series vs New Zealand.
– Lost the home test series against South Africa.
-Lost ODI series against New Zealand C team.
White wash in home test series for the first time.Worst coach ever. Dismiss him immediately. pic.twitter.com/6neTGvvmEt
– Noah (@PantasticNoah) 18 January 2026
Gautam Gambhir India coach:
โขLost ODI series against Sri Lanka
โขLost home test series against New Zealand
โขBGT lost 4-1
โขDraw against a sub-England team
โขLost the ODI series against the Australian team
โข Incompetent Gill was made captain
โข Lost ODI series against New Zealand team at home groundWorst coach ever. pic.twitter.com/Hdjt3MmqEF
-` (@Atomicohli17) 18 January 2026
See also: Virat Kohli’s sharp reaction after unexpected fielding mistake in Indore ODI
