Gambhir is under fire as India lost fourth Test out of last six games at home.
BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia has backed the Indian team management, including head coach Gautam Gambhir, who is under fire from all quarters after Team India lost the first Test to South Africa in Kolkata.
On a pitch that helped spinners from day one and had uneven bounce to make the pacers happy, India failed to grab the advantage despite bowling South Africa out for 159 in the first innings. India managed only 189 runs, and then South Africa made 153 runs and set India 124 runs to win the test.
However, Indian batters failed under pressure on a pitch that turned and bounced, as Simon Harmer picked four wickets in each innings, and India was bowled out for 93 runs and lost the first Test by 30 runs. This was South Africa’s first Test win in India since 2010, and now they have a chance to win their first Test series in India since 2000.
Despite specifically requesting a spin-friendly surface to challenge the Proteas, India ended on the losing side, and in a surprising admission after the loss, head coach Gautam Gambhir confirmed that the team management had asked for exactly such a wicket.
Gambhir has received criticism for the team's performance throughout his stint, which began last year following India's T20 World Cup victory in the Caribbean. While India has won the ICC Champions Trophy in his tenure, India also lost to New Zealand 0-3 in the Test series at home and then 2-1 in Australia, missing the chance to qualify for the final of the T20 World Test Championship 2025.
While India has done well in T20 cricket, they have struggled in ODIs and Tests under Gambhir, and amidst rising criticism, the head coach has found support from BCCI president Devajit Saikia. Saikia said the board is backing the team management, irrespective of the criticism on social media.
“The BCCI has full confidence in our selectors and our coaching team, including the head coach and the players. We do not distinguish anybody. We give full support, and that is why they are doing well," Saikia told RevSportz.
“As you were saying, if somebody is losing a match, there is flak on social media. That we are always ignoring, because at the same time, with the same team, we are winning the Champions Trophy, we are performing exceedingly well in the Asia Cup, we won the trophy, and we levelled the series against England in England," Saikia added.
The BCCI secretary emphasized that the retirements of Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli had created significant vacancies in the Test squad, which must be rebuilt from scratch. Saikia argued that people must be patient with the kids on the side.
“There is a long way to go. We are having a pretty new team with the retirement of R Ashwin and Virat Kohli, as well as Rohit Sharma, three top players who are quite senior in the team with their experience. They have left Test cricket, and therefore we are grooming a new team under the captaincy of Shubman Gill," Saikia said.
“So, we have to have patience, we must boost their confidence, and we should not get ourselves into some knee-jerk reactions after one sudden defeat. So, I am sure our boys will get back their confidence in the Guwahati Test, and in the coming days, they will perform superbly, and your opinion about Indian Test cricket will change very soon," he added.
India will look to level the two-Test series when they clash with South Africa in the second Test in Guwahati from November 22. India will be without Shubman Gill in this match, with Rishabh Pant leading the side for the first time in Tests.