Batting legend Sunil Gavaskar has come to the defence of under-fire India head coach Gautam Gambhir, saying the team's dismal show in home Tests cannot be attributed to the support staff as players must shoulder responsibility for the results.

India, after being shockingly whitewashed at home by New Zealand last year, suffered another humiliating series sweep at the hands of South Africa on Wednesday (November 25).

The hosts lost the second Test in Guwahati by a huge margin of 408 runs to concede the series 0-2 to Proteas.

In the wake of the debacle, calls for Gambhir’s sacking have escalated. Moreover, the agitated fans at Barsapara Cricket Stadium booed the Indian coach, chanting, ‘Gautam Gambhir Haye Haye’, in unison.

Speaking to India Today, Gavaskar hit out at the critics, arguing that they were silent when India won major tournaments under Gambhir.

“He's a coach. The coach can prepare a team. The coach can tell, you know, a guy with his experience. But it's out there in the middle that the players have to deliver. Now, to those who are asking, you know, for him to be held accountable, my question, counter-question is: what did you do when India won the Champions Trophy under him? What did you do when India won the Asia Cup under him?

“Did you say then—you're asking for a sacking now—did you say then that he should be given an extended contract, a contract for life for one day cricket and for T20 cricket? You didn't say that. It's only when a team doesn't do well you look at the coach,” Gavaskar said.

The 76-year-old threw his weight behind Gambhir, saying there is nothing wrong with the latter serving as India’s head coach across all three formats.

Gavaskar added that coaches are only pointed at when a team performs poorly, and instead, the players should be held accountable for not performing well.

“Not necessarily. You have coaches, for example, Brendan McCullum is a coach for all three formats for England. A lot of countries have a coach who is there for all formats. But we tend to only look and point a finger at somebody when the team has lost.

“You're not prepared to give him credit. If you're not prepared to give him credit for the Champions Trophy and the Asia Cup win, then please tell me why you want to blame him for the team out there on that 22-yard, not doing well. Why are you blaming him?” Gavaskar stated.

While India’s white-ball side has performed exceptionally well under current head coach Gautam Gambhir, producing trophies and strong win-loss records, that success has not translated to the traditional format.

This was the second time in a span of just 12 months that India ended up being whitewashed in a home Test series. With Gambhir at the helm, the team has won seven, lost 10 and drew two of their 19 Tests so far, which also includes a 0-3 series sweep against New Zealand.