India national cricket team head coach Gautam Gambhir once again made headlines with his fiery remarks on the recent tour of Australia as he took a sharp dig at the senior pair of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli over the ODI series loss to the hosts.
After the first and last games in Canberra and Brisbane were washed out due to rain, the Men in Blue managed to win the five-match T20I series 2–1; The defeat in the three-match ODI series was not good for Gambhir. He was not really impressed with the hype surrounding Rohit and Kohli’s performances.
Gautam Gambhir took a dig at Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma after losing the ODI series in Australia.
The Indian head coach has made it clear that individual milestones cannot hide the disappointment of the ODI series defeat. It was a direct attack on Kohli and Rohit, as Shubman Gill lost his first series as India’s ODI captain. Notably, the former Indian captain failed to perform in the first ODI.
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While Kohli was out for a duck, Rohit could only score 8 runs and Australia won the first game by seven wickets via the DLS method in Perth. However, the former Indian captain bounced back with a brilliant half-century in the second ODI, but Kohli was once again out for a duck and the visiting team lost the match by two wickets at the Adelaide Oval.
However, Rohit and Kohli turned things around in the final ODI at the SCG. The ‘Hitman’ scored his 50th international century as India defeated Australia by nine wickets in the final ODI in Sydney. Thanks to the unbeaten partnership of 168 runs between Rohit (121*) and Virat Kohli (74*) in Sydney, India achieved the target of 237 runs with 69 balls remaining.
Gautam Gambhir hits out at ‘hype’ over Virat Kohli-Rohit Sharma’s heroics in the final ODI
Reviewing India’s performance in the ODI series against Australia, Gautam Gambhir has hit out at Kohli and Rohit as well as the hype surrounding their performance in the final game. The head coach told him that cricket is not about individual achievements but about results that matter for the country.
“Look, I don’t think (commendable performance) so honestly. I think I have always believed that it is not about individual performances. Yes, I can be very happy with individual performances. Yes, and I will always be happy with individual performances, but at the end of the day, it is the loss of the ODI series,” Gautam Gambhir said in a video shared by the BCCI on its official website.
The coach further added, “This is the ultimate thing, and I can never celebrate a series defeat as a coach. As a player, I can appreciate individuals, but as a coach, I feel it is my moral responsibility that as a nation and we as individuals should never celebrate a series defeat. After all, we are representing the country. Yes, the T20 series was different. We won the series.”
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Gautam Gambhir stresses on learning instead of celebrating after India’s T20 series win in Australia
Reflecting on India’s T20 series win, Gambhir said there were a lot of positives but also important lessons to take forward. He emphasized that the focus is not just on winning the T20 series but on preparing for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2026.
Gambhir believes that the team still has some way to go, but he is confident that India will be in the right frame and form by the time the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 arrives.