Gautam Gambhir lost his temper during practice: India’s qualification for the semi-finals is in doubt after their 76-run defeat against South Africa at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad last Sunday. The Men in Blue had an intensive training session in Chennai yesterday evening ahead of their match win against Zimbabwe on Thursday. Suryakumar Yadav’s team will look to return to winning ways and qualify for the last four.
During the training session, Ray Sportz journalist Ankan Kar reported that India national cricket team head coach Gautam Gambhir was angry as he was seen scolding the players after the defeat. There is tension inside the dressing room as before.
Gautam Gambhir is losing his temper
Soon after the team reached Chennai on Monday, Gautam Gambhir was seen having a serious discussion with opener Abhishek Sharma inside the bus. Gautam Gambhir was seen excited while talking to the flamboyant opening batsman. However, the topic of discussion is still unknown.
The two were caught sitting right behind the driver and chatting intensely while other players boarded. It is believed that the coach is unhappy with Abhishek’s performance. Abhishek Sharma has not been able to perform well in the tournament, scoring three ducks and once scoring 15 runs. Thus, the pressure is on both the coach and the batsman.
Here is the video
After the defeat, Gautam Gambhir was angry and scolded the players fiercely.
After just one loss he is reacting like a disappointed fan. This is the time to support our players, not break their confidence.
Moments like these remind you even more of Dravid.
– Rohan (@rohann__45) 25 February 2026
While chasing 188 runs, the Indian batsmen failed against South Africa’s excellent bowling attack; The batting collapsed and they were bundled out for just 111 runs. Former cricketers and fans shared their concerns over the team’s lack of intent, putting the top order under scrutiny. There may be changes in the batting lineup to ensure more consistent starts.
Too many left-handed players are a problem for India
With six left-handers in the team, India are loaded with left-handers. Rinku Singh has returned home due to a family emergency, as per reports, his father is battling cancer. There is little chance that Rinku will be back in time for Thursday’s game. Sanju Samson can be seen opening the innings with Abhishek.
India will have to win both its remaining matches against Zimbabwe and West Indies by big margins. The Men in Blue will also have to hope that South Africa win all their remaining group stage games against the same opponents, as this will make it easier for the co-hosts as they can qualify with two wins without any net run rate issues.
Sanju Samson and Akshar Patel can play on Thursday
Sanju is out of form and this is the reason for his exclusion. However, he scored some runs in the Namibia games, scoring 22 off 8 balls, and the right-handed batsman higher up the order could also cause tactical changes for the opponents, as they have been using the strategy of bringing in an off-spinner in the very first over for all matchups.
Akshar Patel may return in place of Washington Sundar, who was kept in the team against the Proteas. Gautam Gambhir has been outspoken and has always supported his players in tough times; Disappointment can break the confidence of players.
Also read: Suryakumar Yadav will remain captain even after T20 World Cup 2026! Big claim came to light