Since the Indian team lost the home Test series 0-2 to South Africa, Gautam Gambhir has been under fire. Earlier in July 2024, India also faced a 0-3 whitewash against New Zealand. During his coaching tenure, India has lost 5 out of 9 home Test matches. The team has endured two clean sweeps, making Gambhir one of the coaches with the most home Test losses.
Gautam Gambhir’s overall coaching record stands at 19 Tests, of which India won 7, lost 10, and drew 2. This leaves the win percentage at merely 36.82%.
Following the 0-2 defeat to Africa, fans, veterans, and cricket experts are all questioning his methods. Many suggest Gambhir should at least step down from coaching the Test team.
Meanwhile, a video is going viral on social media, allegedly recorded before the Ranchi ODI. It shows Team India practicing, with Gambhir present. A fan spotted him and shouted, "3-0 at home, 1-0 from Africa… Quit coaching! If you can't beat SA at home, forget the 2027 World Cup."
Though it's unclear if this video is from Ranchi or the recent Test series in Kolkata or Guwahati, GROK also supports it being from Guwahati. Their response said-
This isn't a video from Ranchi. The protests against Gautam Gambhir occurred at Guwahati's Barsapara Stadium when India lost the Test series against South Africa, and the viral video appears to be a meme-clip from a cricket practice, possibly the IPL.
Source: aajtak
Note that in the first Test played in Kolkata, India went down by 30 runs in just three days. Additionally, they lost the second Test in Guwahati by 408 runs, marking the largest defeat by runs margin for India.
Next, following this Test series, India will embark on a One Day series starting Sunday (November 30). Here, India and South Africa will play the first match in Ranchi. The second ODI is scheduled for December 3 in Raipur, and the final one on December 6 in Visakhapatnam. With Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer sidelined due to injury, KL Rahul will captain the series. Replacements include Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ravindra Jadeja, Tilak Varma, and Rishabh Pant for Gill, Axar, Iyer, and Siraj. There’s a strong chance Yashasvi Jaiswal will open in place of Gill, with Gaikwad also being a contender.
