Head coach Gautam Gambhir stated that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will decide his fate with the national team following another underwhelming home Test performance. The South Africa series defeat marked India’s second home Test series loss in the last three under Gambhir’s leadership.
Gautam Gambhir was equally critical of himself as he was of the team. He pointed to India’s first-innings collapse in the Guwahati Test but refused to single out any player for blame, stressing that the entire side must take responsibility for the poor showing.
“It is up to the BCCI to decide my future. But I am the same guy who got you results in England and was the coach for the Champions Trophy. The blame lies with everyone and starts with me. We need to play better. From 95/1 to 122/7 [in India’s first innings of the second Test] is not acceptable. You don’t blame any individual or any particular shot. Blame lies with everyone. I have never blamed individuals and won’t do it going forward,” stated Gambhir during the post-match press conference.
Standby captain Rishabh Pant hoped the team’s 408-run setback at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium will serve as a learning opportunity. He also emphasized how India did not make the most of their favorable circumstances throughout the series.
“We need to take the learning and stick as a team. We needed to be clear with our mindset. In the future, we need to learn from it and get better. They played better cricket, cricket demands that you need to capitalise as a team. And we did not do that and that cost us the whole series. The positive will be focusing on our own plan and that’s what we will take from this series,” noted Pant.
India suffered their first home Test series defeat against South Africa in 25 years. They lost the series opener in Kolkata by 30 runs. However, the team was dealt a big blow as it lost by 408 runs in Guwahati.
The hosts now have three ODIs and five T2OIs ahead. We shall find it interesting to watch the performance of the white-ball teams in comparison with South African. Gill, who has been sidelined by a neck injury related to a nerve, will not be the head of the ODI team, with KL Rahul being the captain of the 50-over team. T20I team is under the leadership of Suryakumar Yadav.
