Former South African skipper AB de Villiers has urged India head coach Gautam Gambhir to bring the team's heavily hyped IPL performers back down to earth following a 2-0 T20I series loss to Ireland and a 4-0 debacle against England.
He emphasized that players need to learn to adapt instead of playing in "fifth gear all the time". While Gambhir’s selection calls—particularly regarding the rotation of Sanju Samson and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi—have been heavily criticized, de Villiers believes the onus ultimately falls on the players to adjust to the demands of international cricket.
“Lots to worry about. Lots of eyes and fingers will be pointed at Gautam Gambhir. Yes, he needs to take leadership and ownership of how this team will move forward. He’s got all the credentials to do so. Maybe this was not a bad thing to get a bit of a wake-up call,” de Villiers said on his YouTube channel.
“Bring those players who have scored so many runs in the IPL a little bit down to earth again. Let them understand that this is international cricket; there’s no more weakness. In the IPL, there are always one or two bowlers you think you can score against. There’s nowhere to hide, so you need to have more than one or two gears. You can’t always bat in the fifth gear,” he added.
Sooryavanshi was rewarded with a place in the national side after a record-breaking IPL 2026 campaign, where he won the Orange Cap, Most Valuable Player, and Emerging Player awards while representing Rajasthan Royals.
He made his historic international debut in the second T20I against at Old Trafford. At just 15 years and 99 days old, the southpaw broke Sachin Tendulkar's long-standing record as the youngest-ever Indian to debut in men’s international cricket.
However, the young prodigy failed to live up to the expectations, returning with scores of 14, 13, and 15 in three outings.
AB de Villiers urged patience with India's transitional phase, emphasizing that replacing legends like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Jasprit Bumrah takes time.
“It was tough to watch India going down 4-0. I did not see that coming. But also not completely unexpected because of the lack of experience, and that is the word that comes to mind. The leadership becomes all the more important. I know there are a lot of fingers pointed at Gautam Gambhir. It is not only him. He plays a huge role. But you will have to be patient with the makeup of that team. You don’t just get a new Bumrah, Virat, or Rohit overnight. It takes time. I think they could have played better and should have been more consistent. I felt they lacked a game plan at times," he remarked.
