Former Indian fast bowler Munaf Patel refused to blame head coach Gautam Gambhir for the Test team’s embarrassing struggles at home and away. Ever since Gautam Gambhir took over as India’s head coach, they have won only one Test series at home, against the West Indies.
Worrying test record under the leadership of Gautam Gambhir
Under Gambhir’s leadership, the team has won only 7 out of its 19 Test matches, while two matches were drawn. And this drop-in form is no longer something that can be ignored. Not long ago, India was known as one of the strongest Test teams in the world, both domestically and overseas.
But now, the same team is finding it difficult to win matches even on familiar home pitches. The biggest shock came at the end of 2024, when India suffered an embarrassing 3-0 Test series defeat against New Zealand at home. And then in 2025, South Africa defeated India 2-0 in another home series.
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These results were shocking, especially for a team that had reached two World Test Championship finals in recent years. As the losses mounted, all eyes turned towards Gambhir. After the retirement of several senior players including Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, the team is in a rebuilding phase. Nevertheless, Gambhir became the main target and was blamed for India’s struggles in Test cricket.
Munaf Patel refused to accuse Gambhir
However, Munaf Patel defended the coach on YouTube podcast Breaking Sports with Vivek Sethia, saying, “Gautam Gambhir’s thinking is very different. His cricket thought process is different from anyone else. He has done well while playing cricket and won trophies as captain.”
Surprisingly, the 2011 World Cup winner has blamed BCCI for the Test team’s struggles while questioning the process of preparing players for home conditions. He also felt that experience was another big issue, saying it was unfair to expect instant success from such a group.
Patel further said, “The players of the current Indian Test team do not even have 100 Tests among them, which is the team playing in England. The reason why we are losing at home is because our batsmen do not know how to play spin. And BCCI is to blame for this.”
BCCI’s role in India’s spin struggle as domestic dominance completely collapses
He said that in the past, Indian players had grown up playing on turning pitches in domestic cricket. This helped him develop strong footwork and patience. But now things have changed. The former bowler said the BCCI has stopped offering “turning pitches” in domestic cricket and has made it mandatory that “pitches should have at least 6 mm of grass”.
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As a result, batsmen are not learning to play spin properly because there is no turn and this weakness is badly reflected in Test matches. In the past, India dominated Test cricket at home because the pitches were designed to suit their strengths. Now, with changes in pitching rules and preparation methods, India have lost that advantage, as cited by Patel.
System failure, no coaching problem
The former fast bowler further explained that Gambhir can only guide and plan, but he cannot bat or bowl on the field. “Everyone is blaming Gautam Gambhir. He is being unfairly targeted. He is not batting out there. People who are not prepared enough,” he said.
“These are new players, a new era. You are tampering with the system and blaming Gautam Gambhir for it. It is not fair. We won the Champions Trophy and ODI/T20 because the wickets are the same. We are losing in Tests because the pitches are different. Why are you targeting one person? He is a good coach. He has led you to ICC titles and drawn Test series in England,” Patel said.
