Gautam Gambhir urged to step up as pressure mounts on the Indian head coach over poor Test performances.
Gautam Gambhir Under Pressure as India Falters in Tests
When Gautam Gambhir took over as head coach, expectations were sky-high. While India has delivered in white-ball cricket—clinching the Champions Trophy earlier this year—their Test performances have been disappointing, putting the former opener under increasing pressure.
Following series defeats to New Zealand and Australia, India’s troubles continued in the opening Test against England, where the Shubman Gill-led side slumped to a five-wicket loss at Headingley. Former India batter Aakash Chopra voiced concern, stating that Gambhir urgently needs positive results to ease the growing scrutiny.
After the Australia series, veterans like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma retired from Test cricket, paving the way for a new-look squad led by Gill. But the England tour has started poorly.
Chopra defended Gill, emphasizing that he is still adjusting to his new role. “This is the principle of Indian cricket—when things go well, everyone takes pride; when they don’t, criticism is inevitable. I’ll be more patient with Shubman Gill because he has just become captain. It will take him time to understand,” Chopra said on his YouTube channel, while suggesting that more accountability lies with Gambhir.
‘Lot of pressure on Gambhir’
Under Gautam Gambhir’s leadership, India has managed to win just one of their last nine Test matches, raising serious concerns about his red-ball credentials. The team suffered consecutive series defeats to New Zealand and Australia, with the Kiwis handing India a 3-0 whitewash and Pat Cummins leading Australia to a 3-1 Border-Gavaskar Trophy triumph.
India’s only Test series win under Gambhir came against Bangladesh last year. Former India batter Aakash Chopra didn’t mince words, stating that the pressure on Gambhir is immense and only growing. “There is a lot of pressure on Gautam Gambhir. If you look at his performances in Test cricket, you’ll find that he hasn’t won many matches—two against Bangladesh and one against Australia. But we lost three against New Zealand, three against Australia, and now one against England. He has been losing and losing,” Chopra said.
Chopra emphasized that Gambhir has been fully backed by the BCCI, leaving no room for excuses. “Whatever Gautam has asked for, it has been given. The type of player, the number of players—everything. So if all this is being provided, then results must follow. There is no excuse.”
While praising India’s white-ball success under Gambhir, Chopra warned that failure in the ongoing England series could deepen the crisis. “I hope the series goes well because I want Indian cricket to succeed. But if it doesn’t, then serious questions will be raised. Where are we going? What are we doing? If the management is getting all they ask for, then it’s time they start delivering. Period.”