India have won only four out of 14 Tests under Gambhir.
Team India are 1-2 behind in the ongoing five-match Test series against England. The fifth Test is currently underway at the Oval, with the visitors facing a must-win situation to draw parity.
The loss in the final Test would mean conceding the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 1-3 to England, which will put chief coach Gautam Gambhir under severe scrutiny. Under his guidance, India’s graph in the longest format has gone down drastically, winning just four of 14 Tests so far.
Before the England series, India conceded the away Border-Gavaskar Trophy 3-1 to Australia and also suffered a humiliating 3-0 home whitewash at the hands of New Zealand.
Speaking on Sky Sports, former England skipper Michael Atherton weighed in on the situation and said Gambhir could be in serious trouble if India lose at the Oval.
“Well, they’ve lost two series in a row. They lost at home to New Zealand 3-0, and they lost the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 3-1. If they lose this series, then yeah, he’s under pressure as a coach,” Atherton stated.
“India, with all their resources, their population strength, they’re not a team that people are patient with. They’re expected to win every time they walk onto the park. So three Test series defeats in a row would be a problem for him,” he added.
Meanwhile, Gambhir was involved in an ugly spat with the Oval’s chief curator Lee Fortis ahead of the fifth Test. It all happened after the India coach was told to stay two and a half meters away when he was inspecting the pitch.
The flare-up at the Oval has certainly added a new layer of drama in the series. The Shubman Gill-led side is currently 1-2 behind in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy but has an opportunity to draw level in the finale.
On a rain-curtailed opening day at the Oval, India reached 204/6 after being asked to bat first. Only 64 overs of play was possible due to multiple rain interruptions.