Team India suffered their biggest defeat in terms of runs, losing the second Test to South Africa by a whopping margin of 408 runs in Guwahati on Wednesday (November 26). As a result, the hosts conceded the series 0-2 to Proteas.
This was the second time in a span of just 12 months that India ended up being whitewashed in a home Test series. With head coach Gautam Gambhir at the helm, the team has won seven, lost 10 and drew two of their 19 Tests so far, which includes a 0-3 series sweep against New Zealand.
India also conceded the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 1-3 in Australia. The only Test series wins under Gambhir's tenure have come against Bangladesh and the West Indies at home.
After the recent debacle against South Africa, calls for Gambhir’s removal have grown louder. Moreover, the agitated fans in Guwahati’s Barsapara Cricket Stadium booed the Indian coach, chanting, ‘Gautam Gambhir Haye Haye’, in unison.
Amidst heavy scrutiny, legendary off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has come to the defence of Gambhir, saying that latter has managed to leave an impact in T20Is for India. However, Ashwin added that he would like to see more stability in the Indian team’s batting line-up.
“I should be very careful when I say this, but I would say that Gambhir has managed to leave an impact on the T20 side of things, where he has been quite experimental in terms of the batting order, which has come in for some debate. These next 10 T20Is that India will play before the T20 World Cup will give us an indication of how much of a shake-up that team is going to go through. I would love to see a lot more stability in terms of what we do with the batting lineup,” Ashwin said on YouTube.
India’s white-ball side has performed exceptionally well under Gautam Gambhir, producing Champions Trophy and Asia Cup this year in addition to strong win-loss records.
“I think GG, the white-ball coach, has already left a bit of a stamp. That is a lot of credit to the IPL in many ways. It has thrown up some really stunning, stunning white-ball cricketers for India, namely Abhishek Sharma. That is one cricketer I would love to watch out for again in the T20 format. His exploits around the format will also dictate where India go in the T20 World Cup. A bit of a fearless approach,” Ashwin remarked.
“Once upon a time, I played for India in the T20 format and always wanted the batters to play in this fashion. It does not always happen when you are playing; it has to happen when you are retired. So I am glad it has happened. A fearless brand of cricket which we always wanted to happen,” he added.
