KEY POINTS
- India suffered a 408-run home defeat to South Africa, marking their first home loss to the Proteas in 25 years.
- Coach Gambhir says Indian cricket board should decide his future.
GUWAHATI, India: India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir defended his tenure on Wednesday following the Men in Blue’s 2-0 home Test series loss to South Africa, highlighting the team’s white-ball successes while acknowledging the historic nature of the defeat in the longest format.
India suffered a crushing 408-run loss in the second Test, marking their heaviest-ever home defeat in terms of runs and the first home loss to South Africa in 25 years.
The defeat also added to recent setbacks, including losing the Border-Gavaskar Trophy to Australia and a 3-0 whitewash by New Zealand in November last year. Under Gambhir, India has faced two of the three total home Test whitewashes in history.
Despite the scrutiny, Gambhir defended the management’s decisions leading into the series and emphasized that it was the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) that should determine whether he continues as head coach.
“There’s no hindsight in sports. Whatever decisions we took, we took in the best interest of the team, and we absolutely believed that those were in the best interest of the team,” Gambhir said.
“It is upon BCCI to decide. I said it in my first press conference when I took over as head coach. Indian cricket is important, I’m not important.”
Gambhir also reminded critics of his achievements in white-ball cricket, including winning the Champions Trophy and Asia Cup, and his success with a young team in England.
He contrasted the current South Africa series with last year’s New Zealand series, noting that the team then featured experienced players like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravichandran Ashwin—who have since retired—making the current squad comparatively inexperienced.
“Four or five batters in this top eight have played literally less than 15 Test matches,” Gambhir pointed out, urging patience for the developing side.
He stressed that the team needs time to “absorb pressure” and grow against top-quality opponents, insisting that the current players are learning on the job and will improve with experience.
“Hopefully, they keep learning as well. This is exactly what transition is, when you’ve got your batting lineup which has played less than 15-20 Test matches,” he said.
With India reeling from a historic defeat, Gambhir’s future now rests in the hands of the BCCI, leaving fans and experts waiting for the board’s decision.
