India national cricket team head coach Gautam Gambhir faced some of the toughest questions of his career on Wednesday (November 26) when the hosts were defeated by South Africa in the two-match Test series on home soil.
South Africa cleaned up the series 2-0 with a massive 408-run win over India in the second and final Test in Guwahati after 25 years. After the embarrassing elimination by the Proteas team, Gambhir said that the Indian cricket team will not give any excuse for the defeat as the responsibility lies with everyone, including him.
Gautam is under severe criticism after India’s historic 2-0 whitewash at home.
But he also pointed out that this Indian side is going through a major transformation; Many players are still learning, and need more time to show their true potential. India’s defeat for the wrong reasons was historic.
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They lost the second Test by a huge margin of 408 runs – their biggest defeat in Test cricket in terms of runs. They also lost the home Test series for the first time in 25 years. This was their second whitewash in 13 months and their fifth Test defeat in seven months under Gambhir’s leadership.
Chasing 549 runs, India could barely put up a fight. Marco Jansen destroyed the middle order and Simon Harmer made life difficult for the Indian batsmen, who appeared to lack technique, preparation and confidence.
From 95/1 to 120/7, it is not acceptable: Gautam Gambhir
India actually started well at 95 for 1, but things surprisingly fell apart. The team was reduced to 120 runs for 7 wickets, something fans have seen many times recently.
“Again, everyone should stop talking nonsense, that’s all, because yes, we need to apply better. At one point, we were 95 for 1. I’m sure you guys will be watching the game. To go from 95 for 1 to 120 for 7, that’s not acceptable,” Gautam Gambhir said in the post-match press conference.
We keep talking about that spell, but then a fast bowler got four wickets in that spell. And we have faced such collapse before. Someone has to put their hand up and say I’m going to stop this – stop this, whatever you call it collapse.
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However, Gautam Gambhir stressed that if the team has to win against strong Test teams, everyone will have to take responsibility and perform better. The Indian head coach also said that it cannot be about blaming one player or a poor shot – the entire team has to come forward.
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The coach further explained, “I expect better from everybody. I expect better from myself than everybody in that room. I’m not going to sit here and say I expect better from any one person. If you want to win Test matches against quality teams, you have to expect better from everybody. That’s how you win Tests. You don’t blame an individual shot or one person for playing a certain way. You blame everybody.”
Gautam Gambhir calls India’s Test struggle a true transition phase
Lastly, Gambhir pointed out that the current Indian Test team is full of young batsmen who have played less than 15-20 Test matches, and they are still gaining experience and will improve with time. The Indian head coach believes that with patience, learning and consistent effort, this group will gradually develop into a strong Test unit again.
He signed off by saying, “I hate to use that word – transition – but it really is transition. When your batting lineup has played less than 15-20 Test matches, they need time. Hopefully, they keep learning.”