Indian batters had no answer to South African bowlers, especially Marco Jansen, as they succumbed to 201 all out on day three of the ongoing second Test in Guwahati on November 24, 2025.
This was after South Africa posted 489 runs thanks to Senuran Muthudwamy’s 109 and Marco Jansen’s 93 in the first innings, after winning the toss and choosing to bat first.
In reply, India did well, with openers KL Rahul (22) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (58) posting 65 runs for the first wicket. However, the Indian team faltered and went from 95/2 to 122/7 in short order. Sai Sudharsan (15), Dhruv Jurel (0), Rishabh Pant (7), and Ravindra Jadeja (6) all fell in quick succession.
This left India at 122/7 at one stage, but then Washington Sundar (48) and Kuldeep Yadav (19) added 72 runs for the eighth wicket to bring India back in the game. But ultimately, Marco Jansen’s 6/48 bundled India out for 201 runs in return, handing South Africa a lead of 288 runs.
This batting performance from the Indian team led to head coach Gautam Gambhir being targeted on social media. India’s record under Gautam Gambhir in Test cricket is not good. India won against Bangladesh at home but lost 0-3 to New Zealand at home and then 3-1 in Australia.
India did well by winning 2-0 against the West Indies at home, but are now on the verge of losing to South Africa 0-2 at home, handing them their first series win in India since 2000.
Gambhir’s biggest criticism has been the uncertainty in the Indian batting order. Apart from the top three, none of the batters have a fixed spot in the playing XI. The No. 3 spot has been a game of musical chairs, with Karun Nair, Sai Sudharsan, and Washington Sundar all being tried at the spot.
Also, Gambhir’s fixation with playing multiple all-rounders in the XI has led to India falling short on the bowling front when it mattered. He has been stubborn with his strategies despite the majority of them failing in Test cricket.
All of this has led to Indian team cricket fans getting fed up with Gautam Gambhir, who had become the head coach with a lot of promise, and trending ‘Sack Gambhir’ on the social media platform X.
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