Former Indian cricketer Robin Uthappa has come out in support of Gautam Gambhir after India’s crushing 0-2 defeat in the Test series against South Africa. He has said that too much blame is being put on head coach Gautam Gambhir while the players are getting a free hand.
Uthappa, who has played alongside Gautam Gambhir for both India and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the IPL, said it is easier to blame the coach than to look at the real problems in India’s Test team. India have been struggling in Tests since Gambhir became head coach in mid-2024.
Robin Uthappa one-sidedly criticized Gautam Gambhir after South Africa’s defeat.
Last year, New Zealand defeated them 0-3 and then lost to South Africa 0-2. South Africa batted first in Guwahati and scored 489 runs. India could score only 201 runs in the first innings. After this, South Africa declared its second innings at 260 runs for 5 wickets and gave India a huge target of 549 runs.
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Indian batsmen could not bear the pressure and were all out for 160 runs. After the 408-run defeat, Gautam Gambhir has received huge reactions from all sides. However, Sunil Gavaskar strongly defended the head coach and Uthappa praised the former Indian captain for defending Gambhir.
“I liked what Sunny Gavaskar said. Sunny ji said that if you asked for his extension after the Champions Trophy win or the Asia Cup, you can blame him. People need to blame someone for this,” Robin Uthappa said in his YouTube show with Jarrod Kimber.
Robin Uthappa questions India’s Test approach amid growing criticism
The 2007 T20 World Cup winner admitted that some of the criticisms like the unstable batting order and choosing all-rounders over specialist batsmen are valid, but it is unfair to focus solely on the coach. The real issues are beyond one individual and India must fix them to improve Test cricket.
Uthappa further explained, “Yes, a lot of things have been said, and I understand where it comes from. People are saying that there is no stable batting order, there are a lot of changes, and there are less specialists and more all-rounders in the team. These are all very valid points.
I think there is a need to rethink how Test cricket is viewed. This is certainly valid. There are complaints about his coaching style. The good thing is that most of what Gauti is doing applies to white-ball cricket. But will this necessarily work in red-ball cricket? Not always.”
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Robin Uthappa criticizes Indian batsmen for shirking responsibility in Tests
The former Indian batsman also highlighted that India’s batsmen need to take more responsibility in Test cricket. He said that batsmen should learn to defend, structure the innings and play according to the situation instead of just trying to hit big shots.
He signed off by saying, “I definitely think you need experts out there. But the one thing we’re all missing is the fact that no one is really talking about the players and their ownership.”
“Everyone is going after the coach, his record and India’s record last year. There are a lot of valid points raised about his coaching style and the inconsistencies that exist at the moment.”