Gautam Gambhir Defends Coaching Role Amid Test Struggles and IPL Owner’s Comments
Gautam Gambhir has hit back at the dark cloud that has been looming over him with criticism on the back of India's ODI series victory over South Africa. He has also claimed responsibility for what has been happening with Test cricket, whilst taking aim at an IPL owner's comments about how he was involved with team decisions.
Aadrika Tayal 
New Delhi (India) December 7: Commenting on India’s 2-1 ODI series win over South Africa in Visakhapatnam on the weekend, the Indian head coach did not hold back when he addressed journalists after the victory.
Gambhir stated that he was 'really taken aback' at the nature of the criticism directed towards his coaching role, accepting that results have not gone his way, particularly in Test cricket. At the same time, Gambhir was extremely angry with one IPL team owner, who crossed the line with a comment that suggested the introduction of split coaching.
Controversy Over Split Coaching and IPL Owner’s Remarks
Gambhir did not name the team owner, but was obviously referring to Delhi Capitals co-owner Parth Jindal, who posted a tweet suggesting that India needed a specialist red-ball coach for the Test team after India lost 2-0 to South Africa recently in a Test series.
“Ek IPL ke owner ne bhi likkha split coaching k bare mein. (An IPL team owner also wrote about split coaching). Hum kisi ke domain mein nahi jate, so it's important that people stay in their domain. So this is surprising. It's very important for people to stay in their domain.(Because if we don't go into someone's domain, then they also don't have the right to come into our domain),” Gambhir said.
Impact of Captain Shubman Gill’s Absence on Test Series Performance
It is quite clear that Gambhir was directing his anger at Jindal, who was vocal with his suggestion of split coaching after India's whitewash at the hands of South Africa in the most recent Test series. Despite the losses, Gambhir defended his players, highlighting the impact of captain Shubman Gill’s absence.
“A lot has been said, no doubt. Yes, results haven’t gone our way. But, the most shocking part about all this is not one media house, not one journalist mentioned that the first Test we played, we were without our captain, who didn’t bat in both innings," he added.
Jindal’s Call for Specialist Red-Ball Coach After Test Defeats
After India's latest Test loss at home, Jindal advocated for the adoption of dual coaching policies in order to achieve greater success with the red-ball format of cricket in India.
Jindal posted, “Not even close, what a complete thrashing at home! Don’t remember seeing our test side being so weak at home!!! This is what happens when red ball specialists are not picked. This team is nowhere near reflective of the deep strength we possess in the red ball format. Time for India to move to a specialist red-ball coach for Test cricket” on social media platform X.
Gambhir Under Radar Over Team Performance
Prior to the One Day International (ODI) series, Gambhir had faced substantial scrutiny based on his performance with the senior national squad, particularly after having lost five of their last seven home Tests. For the first time in their history, India suffered two consecutive seasons of being white-washed at home during the Test series.
Following India's successful completion of the 2-1 ODI series victory over South Africa, the Head Coach appeared happy as he had again found a smile to return to his face.
