India’s young cricket team pulled off a brave performance in England, managing to draw the five-match series 2-2. But beyond the celebrations, the spotlight also turned to coach Gautam Gambhir, who came under heavy pressure before this tour even began.
Gautam Gambhir Faced Heavy Criticism Before the Tour
After India lost at home to New Zealand and later to Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, questions were raised about Gautam Gambhir’s ability as a Test coach. With some fans doubting him, many thought this England series could be his final one in the red-ball format.
According to Mohammad Kaif, the coach was under the most pressure during this England tour. Kaif said on his YouTube channel, “The most pressure on this tour was on him. As a coach, he was not as successful in Tests. I feel people were waiting that if India lost this Test, the most criticism would be on him.”
Kaif also added that people online were ready to mock Gambhir had things gone wrong. He said, “People wait to make his memes on social media and talk bad about him. Maybe this would have been his last in Tests as a coach if India had lost. There was that much pressure on him.”
Team Selection by Gambhir Helped India Win
India’s wins in the fourth and fifth Tests had a lot to do with team selection. Many thought Kuldeep Yadav should play in Bumrah’s absence, but Gautam Gambhir focused on batting depth, which turned out to be the right call in the end.
Kaif said, “We all said that Kuldeep must play in Bumrah’s absence but Gambhir stuck to having batting depth. He wanted batting till number eight and his decision proved right.” This decision helped India put up runs and fight back in the matches they eventually won.
He further pointed to how players like Jadeja and Sundar played vital roles because of this depth. Kaif added, “The two Tests we won, you look at Jadeja’s and Sundar’s roles there. As there was depth in batting, we could score runs and then the series ended in a draw as we could win.”
Gambhir’s Message to the Players After the Series
India won the fifth Test at The Oval by just six runs. On the third day, they were behind, but they kept fighting and came back strong. The team showed great effort, and Gautam Gambhir’s role was clear in the dressing room talks.
After the match, Gambhir spoke to the players in a video shared by BCCI. He said, “The way this series has panned out 2-2 is an outstanding result. Congratulations to everyone.” He was not only happy about the win but also talked about building a good team spirit.
Gambhir told the players to keep getting better. He said, “So remember, we will keep getting better, we will keep working hard, we will keep improving our areas, because if we keep doing that, we can dominate Test Cricket for a very long time.”
Dressing Room Culture Important for Gautam Gambhir
Gambhir said that winning is good, but what matters more is the team’s dressing room feeling. He wants the team to have a culture where everyone feels happy to be there, even if some people leave and new ones come in.
He ended by saying, “People will come and go, but the culture of the dressing room should always be like that, people want to be part of this culture, that is what we want to create.” For Gautam Gambhir, making this kind of team is very important.
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