Gambhir Under Fire: India's Test Performance Sparks Scrutiny of Coach's Record After England Defeat

Former Indian opener and current head coach Gautam Gambhir finds himself under increasing pressure following the Indian team's recent struggles in Test cricket, despite their continued success in limited-overs formats, including their recent Champions Trophy victory.

India coach Gautam Gambhir (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)

The latest setback occurred at Headingley, where India, led by new captain Shubman Gill, suffered a five-wicket defeat against England. This loss compounds previous series defeats against New Zealand and Australia. Under Gambhir's leadership, India has managed to win only one of their last nine Test matches. This period includes a 3-0 whitewash in New Zealand and a 3-1 defeat to Australia, resulting in India losing the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

This challenging phase coincides with a transition period, marked by the retirements of veteran players Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma from Test cricket after the series loss to Australia. A relatively new team under Gill's captaincy is still in the process of settling down, but their performance in England thus far has been disappointing.

Former Indian batter Aakash Chopra offered his analysis of the situation on his YouTube channel, urging patience with Gill but also highlighting the growing pressure on Gambhir. He stated, "There is a lot of pressure on Gautam Gambhir. The pressure is absolutely mounting. He has won two matches against Bangladesh and one against Australia, but we lost three to New Zealand, three to Australia and now one to England. He has been losing and losing.”

Chopra emphasized that there are no excuses left. “The selectors have given everything the coaching staff has asked for. So, if this is the case, then you also need to deliver the results. Period.”

With the England series finely balanced, Gambhir's leadership in the red-ball format is now under intense scrutiny.