India have won only three out of 11 Tests under Gambhir.
Team India suffered a five-wicket defeat in the first Test against England at Headingley despite their batters scoring five centuries in the match. The visitors failed to defend a 371-run target, conceding a 1-0 lead in the five-Test rubber.
This outcome has put head coach Gautam Gambhir under severe scrutiny. Under his guidance, India’s graph in the longest format has gone down drastically, winning just three of 11 Tests.
Before the Leeds Test defeat, India conceded the away Border-Gavaskar Trophy 3-1 to Australia and also suffered a humiliating first-ever home whitewash at the hands of New Zealand.
“There is a lot of pressure on Gautam Gambhir. The pressure is absolutely mounting. If you look at his performances in Test cricket and red-ball cricket, you will find that he has not won a lot of matches. He has won 2 matches against Bangladesh and one against Australia. However, we lost three against New Zealand, three against Australia and one against England. He has been losing and losing," Chopra said in a video on his YouTube channel.
“His performance in white-ball cricket has been good. The team has been playing well. But in Test cricket, I think the questions are going to be there. And I think there is a lot of pressure on this series. If this series doesn’t go well, God forbid, I hope it goes well. I really want Indian cricket to do well. But if the England series doesn’t go too well, then there will be a question mark — Where are they going and what are they doing?" he added.
“Because the selectors feel that whatever team management is asking for, it is being given. The type of player you want, the number of players you want, and the player you are pointing at are being given. So, if this is the case, then you also need to deliver the results. Period. There is no excuse," he further remarked.
In contrast, Gautam Gambhir has done exceptionally well as a white-ball coach for India. With him at the helm of affairs, the Men in Blue won the ICC Champions Trophy earlier this year in Dubai. The team is also playing fearless cricket in T20Is.
India will be eyeing a series-leveling win in the second Test against England, slated to be held at Edgbaston in Birmingham on July 2.