"It's Not Really A Rebuild": Ex-England Star Dismisses Gautam Gambhir's Big Claim

Former England all-rounder Moeen Ali has made some interesting comments about India's debacle in the two-match Test series against South Africa. Led by Shubman Gill (only the first innings in the first Test) and Rishabh Pant, India faced a humiliating 0-2 whitewash at home against the Proteas. The second Test in  Guwahati was even more painful for the hosts as they lost by 408 runs, registering their biggest defeat in the history of the format. Post the defeat, India head coach Gautam Gambhir has been facing severe criticism for his coaching style and tactical decisions. 

On numerous occasions, Gambhir stated that the team is currently going through a transition phase, following the retirements of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Ravichandran Ashwin. 

Moeen, who has now retired from international cricket, will be leading Gulf Giants in the ILT20 season 4. On the sidelines of the ILT20, Moeen spoke to NDTV and disagreed with Gambhir's "transition phase" remark, calling the Indian squad experienced. 

"I don't know, it's tough because India expects to win in India all the time. It's not just the news of this series, it's the news of the New Zealand series. I know he's (Gambhir) saying it's a rebuild, but it's not really a rebuild.These guys are top players, one of the top top players," Moeen told NDTV. 

"But having watched a bit, I mean they had a good result in the UK, I thought it was a draw in the end, but India really prides itself. India's on a bit of a different level where they pride themselves on that home in particular," he added. 

He further stated that the absence of spin all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin is hurting Team India a lot in Test cricket. 

"I think Ashwin is a massive miss. The spinners they have are good, but Ashwin was the guy who just gave them that. Especially in India, he was outstanding and I think he's a big miss," he said. 

Speaking about his role in ILT20, the all-rounder stated that he is excited to be a part of Gulf Giants squad and looking forward to play good cricket. 

"Just come and play my best cricket, play well, score runs, take wickets, give to the team as much as I can, get involved in the planning and things like that. Come in, do well, try and do well, but most importantly, give for the team as much as you can," he said. 

Fans can exclusively watch the live action on ‘Z's linear TV channels, OTT platform Zee 5 in India, with Zee5 Hindi offering free-to-view streaming as the exclusive digital partner.

Cricket fans and sports enthusiasts across India can catch the live action on &Pictures SD, Zee Cinema HD, Zee Action, Zee Thirai – SD, Zee Cinemalu and OTT platform Zee 5.

Topics mentioned in this article

England Cricket Team India Cricket Team South Africa Cricket Team Gautam Gambhir Moeen Ali India vs South Africa 2025, India Cricket