The pressure on Gautam Gambhir has reached its peak after India suffered a humiliating 2-0 defeat against South Africa at home. The Indian cricket team suffered a record 408-run defeat in the second and final Test at the Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati.
With this huge win, South Africa has become the only team to whitewash India twice in Tests. This was their first Test series clean sweep in India after 25 years. At the same time, this was India’s biggest defeat on home ground in terms of runs.
Gautam Gambhir has become the first Indian coach to suffer defeat in two Test matches at home.
The questions Gambhir faced in the post-series press conference were some of the toughest of his career, as before this embarrassment, New Zealand had also lost 0-3 to India in a three-match Test series at home. He has become the first coach to be whitewashed twice in Tests.
Also read: Temba Bavuma links Jasprit Bumrah’s ‘dwarf’ comment to the ongoing ‘Grovel’ controversy
It was really interesting how Gambhir tried to deal with the criticism in Guwahati. Twice during his interaction with the press, the Indian head coach reiterated the same idea, and that was that the team did not need flamboyant players right now, and the collapse was happening again and again because some of the batsmen did not have a backup plan.
He pointed out that some players were stubborn about their style, even when the situation demanded a different approach. Gambhir did not take any names but it was a clear reference to stand-in captain Rishabh Pant, who lost his wicket while attempting a vigorous slog when India were under pressure at 105 for 4 in the first innings.
Start giving priority to Test cricket: Gautam Gambhir’s message to Team India
Dhruv Jurel was also out for a duck on 11 balls after playing a careless pull shot against Marco Jansson. When Gambhir was asked how India can improve in Tests, he spoke candidly about the need to take red-ball cricket seriously. He explained that everyone associated with the Indian setup must be fully committed and noted that players should not treat both the formats the same way.
Gautam Gambhir said in the post-match press conference, “If we are really serious about it then start giving priority to Test cricket. Everyone needs to be a stakeholder. If we want Test cricket to flourish in India, we need a collective effort. Just blaming the players or the support staff will not help. And as I said, we cannot keep things under the carpet. Come white-ball formats, if you score runs there and suddenly forget that you have What happened in red ball cricket should never happen.”
Also read: Gautam Gambhir clearly blames changes for India’s Test series defeat to South Africa at home
Gambhir further explained that Test cricket demands patience, courage and a different mindset altogether. He further added, “Red-ball cricket requires different skills. And more importantly, it requires tough characters. You don’t need the most skilful or flamboyant players; you need tough characters with limited skills who succeed regardless of the circumstances.”
Gautam Gambhir reveals the real reason for India’s defeat
What made the press conference even more interesting was the change in tone. Gambhir started by saying that the blame lies on every single member of the team, including himself. But as the questions continued, his answers clearly pointed to the players’ approach and mindset, especially in difficult situations.
When asked whether India’s repeated batting failures were due to technical lapses or something deeper, Gautam Gambhir said the issue was mental, as some players did not understand match situations well and had difficulty making adjustments when the team needed stability.
He explained how important it is for players to truly care about the team and the dressing room environment. He said that accountability cannot be taught like cricket skills. Gambhir further explained, “It comes from caring – how much you care about the dressing room and the team. Accountability and playing conditions can’t be taught.”
‘Accountability is important’- Gautam Gambhir
He further added, “Yes, you can talk about skills, work on skills and discuss the mental aspect – but when you go in, you must put the team ahead of yourself. If someone thinks, “This is how I play; I don’t have a plan B,” then you’ll get these kinds of fallbacks.
Responsiveness is important—but more than that, it’s caring. How much you care about Indian cricket and the people in the dressing room. From 95 for 1 to 120 for 5—this is not technical. It’s mental. It’s about how much Test cricket means to all of us. We have to keep thinking about what needs to be done and where we can improve. Individually and collectively.”
