India suffered a humiliating 0-2 defeat in the two-Test series against South Africa. Following Wednesday’s massive 408-run defeat in the Guwahati Test, Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir, when asked if he considered himself the right person for Test cricket, stated clearly that the BCCI would decide.
Should Gautam Gambhir resign from head coach role?
Head coach Gautam Gambhir said, “It’s up to the BCCI to decide my future. But I’m the same person who got you results in England and won you the Champions Trophy.” He admitted that he was primarily responsible for the defeat. “Everyone is to blame, starting with me. Going from 95/1 to 122/7 is unacceptable. No single player can be blamed.”
Since Gambhir took over as coach, India has lost 10 of 18 Tests. Consecutive 0-3 and 0-2 defeats in home series against New Zealand last year and South Africa now have raised many questions. Criticism has also grown regarding his frequent changes in team combinations and his philosophy of prioritizing all-rounders over specialist players.
Gambhir clarified, “In Test cricket, you don’t need the brightest player. You need tough characters with limited skills; only they make good Test cricketers.”
Rishabh Pant said this
Rishabh Pant, who captained the team after Shubman Gill’s injury in the Guwahati Test, also expressed disappointment with the team’s performance. Pant said, “It’s a bit disappointing. We need to improve as a team. The opposition played better than us. Just playing at home doesn’t automatically mean you’ll get results. In cricket, you have to capitalize on every opportunity. We didn’t do that throughout the series, and we paid a heavy price for it.”
Pant admitted that the team needs to learn from the series and bounce back. “Going forward, we need to learn from our mistakes and play better cricket together,” he said.