India head coach Gautam Gambhir came under severe criticism after the team’s humiliating whitewash in the home Test series against New Zealand last month.

The Rohit Sharma-led side lost the three consecutive Test matches in Bengaluru, Pune and Mumbai. This outcome also marked the end of their remarkable streak of 18 consecutive home Test series victories.

Gambhir was named the chief coach after Rahul Dravid’s tenure ended with the T20 World Cup 2024 triumph in June. The former opener was appointed with a lot of expectations as he mentored KKR to the IPL title earlier this year.

His stint with the Men in Blue began on a bitter-sweet note as India won the T20I series 3-0 and lost the ODIs 0-2 on the tour of Sri Lanka.

In the wake of slumping performances, Gambhir finds himself in a tough spot. In fact, there are several reports claiming that he might be sacked as Test coach if the Indian team underperforms in the ongoing tour of Australia.

Amid the scrutiny, former Indian batter Ajay Jadeja has come to the defence of Gautam Gambhir, stating that latter’s performance as coach cannot be fairly evaluated within a short timeframe.

"I think you are being unfair to him... If you will start judging people on the basis of their coaching role or whatever way it is being looked at, it is too short a time to for people to be judged," Jadeja told PTI Videos in an exclusive interview on Saturday (November 30).

"If you are not convinced that he is good, then one performance here or there will be able to convince anyone. I don't think it is the time to judge him, it is the time we should enjoy him," he added.

India made a remarkable turnaround to win the first Test against Australia by 295 runs in Perth, prompting Gambhir to say that it would be premature to evaluate Gambhir's performance within just six months of him taking charge.

"So, there are phases and it will come, sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. So, I won't go into that direction and start judging him (Gambhir) in six months.

"You knew what you were asking for and what you were getting. He is a very clear-cut person and he has made it clear throughout his life. So, what your are seeing now is what everyone expected of him to do."

According to Jadeja, regular skipper Rohit Sharma’s return for the second Test in Adelaide will significantly boost India's confidence. Rohit missed the series opener due to birth of his second child.

"Him (Rohit Sharma) coming back to the team will surely boost India's confidence, for sure. He is a leader, when the chips were down, team was going down, he stood up there as the leader and now when the team is going up, he will be again there as the leader."

Asked whether KL Rahul and Rohit should swap batting positions in the second Test after the former had an impressive outing in Perth, Jadeja replied, "I have no details of what the team is thinking right now, no views on who should bat at what number. Rohit Sharma has always been an asset to the side wherever he bats."

The second Test will be played with the pink ball at the Adelaide Oval from December 6 to 10.