Gautam Gambhir's reign as head coach of the Indian cricket team has kicked off with a catastrophic start. The Men in Blue suffered a humiliating defeat in a bilateral ODI series against Sri Lanka, marking the first loss in 27 years. To add insult to injury, the Rohit Sharma-led team then faced another blow by losing a home Test series for the first time in 12 months.
India's remarkable world record streak of winning 18 Test series in a row at home came crashing down after a defeat to New Zealand, leaving just one match remaining in the series. The team's once-unstoppable dominance on home turf was shattered with an eight-wicket loss in Bengaluru followed by a devastating 113-run defeat in Pune.
As the team's stronghold at home crumbled, Gambhir found himself under fire from all directions. Criticism rained down on him as the team suffered defeat in only his second Test series at the helm.
In a dramatic turn of events, old comments directed at former India head coach Ravi Shastri have resurfaced to haunt Gambhir. A vintage clip has emerged showing the 43-year-old cricketer vehemently criticizing the 1983 World Cup winner and challenging his accomplishments in the sport.
“I’m sure that people who haven’t won anything give these kinds of statements. I don’t know what Shastri has achieved in his career apart from winning the World Championship in Australia. I don’t think he was a part of an overseas series win. If you haven’t won anything yourself, you end up giving this kind of statement. I’m sure people wouldn’t have taken this seriously. I’m sure he must not have seen enough cricket. If he had he seen enough cricket, he wouldn’t have given that statement,” said Gambhir in an old interview with News 18.
“It was very childish. Even if you had won 4-1, you won’t say this is the best Indian team touring abroad. You would still stay humble and say we want to take this, we want to go forward, we want to keep improving. You wouldn’t say this is the best Indian team ever overseas. This is childish. I’m sure people wouldn’t have taken this seriously. I don’t know about other people but I didn’t take it seriously because it was a very immature statement,” Gambhir added.
Shastri served as India's head coach from 2017 to 2021, during which time they achieved the remarkable feat of winning Test series on Australian soil not once, but twice. This historic achievement marked the first time an Indian team had ever emerged victorious in a red-ball series in Australia.
In a bold move earlier this year, Gambhir stepped into the top coaching position, taking over from the esteemed Rahul Dravid. With a contract extending until December 2027, Gambhir is poised to lead the team into a new era of greatness and success.
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