'Played without captain': Gautam Gambhir hides behind 'excuses' for Test series defeat after India's victory in ODIs

Head coach Gautam Gambhir has firmly rejected social media speculation about split coaching for Indian cricket. He expressed surprise at these theories, urging commentators to respect their boundaries. Gambhir highlighted that the recent Test series loss to South Africa was discussed without acknowledging the absence of the captain and main batter in the crucial first Test.
Gautam Gambhir (Screengrab)
India's head coach Gautam Gambhir has strongly dismissed social media discussions about split coaching during a Saturday press conference. He expressed surprise at these theories and advised commentators to maintain their boundaries.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! The debate emerged following India's recent 0-2 Test series loss to South Africa. Several cricket personalities, including an IPL team owner, suggested to BCCI about having separate coaches for red-ball and white-ball formats.
Gautam Gambhir Press Conference: Team India head coach heaves fire after 2-1 ODI series win over SA
"Look, there were a lot of talks because the results didn't go in our favour. But the most surprising thing is that not once did any media or journalist wrote that our first Test match was played without the captain, who didn't bat in both innings," Gambhir said during the post-match press meet after India clinched the ODI series against SA 2-1. Gambhir emphasised that certain individuals were making comments unrelated to on-field cricket matters. "Some people also said things that have nothing to do with cricket. An IPL team owner also wrote about split coaching. So this is surprising. It's very important for people to stay in their domain. Because if we don't go into someone's domain, then they also don't have the right to come into our domain," Gambhir added. During the post-match conference in Guwahati, Gambhir addressed his achievements as the red-ball coach following the home series defeat. "I don't give excuses in press conferences. It doesn't mean that you don't show the facts in front of the world or the country. When you go through a transition and when you lose your captain, who is also your main batter in red-ball cricket against such a team." "Then obviously the results are difficult because you don't have that much experience in red ball cricket. And the surprising thing is that no one even talked about it. All the discussions about wickets, I don't know what all things were said," he noted. He highlighted that captain Shubman Gill's absence due to a neck injury during both innings of the first Test in Kolkata was largely overlooked in media discussions.
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