Team India was whitewashed in the 2-Test series played between India and South Africa. The Indian team, which lost by 30 runs in Kolkata, lost by 408 runs in Guwahati. This is Team India’s biggest defeat in terms of runs in Test history. This is Team India’s second clean sweep in a span of one year.
During Gautam Gambhir’s tenure, Team India could not defeat any of the SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia) countries. After this ongoing performance, Gambhir took the responsibility of the defeat and also blamed the players.
What Gautam Gambhir said after the match?
It’s rare to see Team India perform like this in a home Test match. Gautam Gambhir has been heavily criticized on social media. After the series loss, Gambhir said that everyone should take responsibility for the defeat. When asked about his tenure, he said, “That’s for the BCCI to decide. I’ve said this before: Indian cricket is important, I’m not. I’m the man who delivered results in England, won the Champions Trophy, and the Asia Cup. This is a team that’s learning.”
Gambhir said, “You don’t need the most dynamic and talented cricketers to play Test cricket. We need strong players with less skill. They make good Test cricketers. If you’re really serious about Test cricket, start prioritizing it. Everyone needs effort. You can’t just blame the players or any specific individual.” While Gambhir has supported skilled players, they have been left out of the team. Cricketers like Ajinkya Rahane and Sarfaraz Khan also fall into this category, but both have been dropped.
Pointing out shortcomings after the series loss, Gambhir said that India’s decline from 95 for 1 to 122 for 7 on the third day showed the need for stronger execution. He said, “Everyone is at fault, especially mine. I will not tolerate going from 95 for 1 to 122 for 7. You cannot blame any one person or any particular shot. Everyone is at fault. I have never blamed any one person and I will never do so in the future.”