Gambhir Gives a Lame ‘Team Transition’ Excuse Following Series Defeat by Proteas

The Indian Test team is currently under heavy criticism after suffering another defeat in a home test series. The situation arose when South Africa defeated India 2-0 in the two-match series, marking their first victory in the country in a long time. They dominated the home team in both matches, exhibiting more class and discipline in test cricket.

Surprisingly, the head coach of the Indian team, Gautam Gambhir, appears unfazed by the team’s performances in home test matches. He has attributed these poor displays to the ongoing transition that the Indian team is currently undergoing. This is certainly a weak excuse, as other top teams like Australia and South Africa have also experienced transitions, yet those changes did not affect their results.

In the post-match press conference, when Gambhir was asked whether he would step down from the Indian test coaching position after the loss, he replied that the power to make such decisions lies with the BCCI.

"It is up to BCCI to decide. I've said it during my first press conference when I took over as the head coach. Indian cricket is important, I'm not important. And I sit here and say exactly the same thing." said dejected Gautam Gambhir.

He then reminded everyone of some major victories India had achieved in recent times. Gambhir thought this would be a perfect way to silence the critics, however, none of these achievements included any notable test triumphs.

"I'm the same guy who got results in England as well, with a young team. And I'm sure you guys will forget very soon because a lot of people keep talking about New Zealand. And I'm the same guy under whom [we] won Champions Trophy and Asia Cup as well.” said Gautam Gambhir.

The Indian head coach then said that the team is currently going through a transition phase and that everyone should give the young team some opportunities to learn in test cricket.

"Yes, this is a team which has less experience. They need to keep learning and they're putting [in] everything possible to turn the tide." said Gautam Gambhir.

 

New Zealand Series Defeat Still Haunting India

The stigma of the home test defeat against New Zealand is still haunting the Indian team, and the latest hammering given by South Africa has only made the matters worse. However, Gautam Gambhir believes that both test defeats came under different circumstances, so they should not be equated.

"Look, first of all, the series against New Zealand, we had a very different side. And this is a very different side. The experience that that batting line-up had [compared] to what this team has is chalk and cheese. So comparing everything to New Zealand is probably a wrong narrative.” said Gautam Gambhir.

He further said that the current Indian batting lineup is quite inexperienced, with most of the players having played only a few Test matches in international cricket. It is therefore important to be patient with them, as they are learning hard lessons on the field.

"I don't give excuses. I've never done that in the past. I will never do it in the future as well. But four or five batters in this top eight have literally played less than 15 Test matches [each], and they will grow. They're learning on the job. They're learning on the field.” said Gautam Gambhir.

"Test cricket is never easy when you're playing against a top-quality side. So you've got to give them time as well. So for me, I think that is something they'll keep learning. That is important. Because I know that I hate using this word transition. This is exactly what transition is." added Gautam Gambhir.

He then admitted that India lost the game on Day 3 when their batting suffered a shock collapse. It was ultimately the defining point that gave South Africa complete control of the match.

"From 95 for 1 to 120 for 7 is not acceptable. And we keep talking about [India's batting against] spin, but then one seamer got four wickets in that spell. And we've had these collapses in the past as well. Someone needs to put their hand up and say that I'm going to stop this collapse.” said Gautam Gambhir.

"For me, I think that 30-minute spell took us away from the game. Because at one stage on day three, we were pretty much in control of the game where we were 95 for 1. And then, from there, to lose five or six wickets for nothing on the board literally was always pushing us back." concluded Gautam Gambhir.