"Blame Starts With Me": Gautam Gambhir Refuses To Mince Words After India's 0-2 Defeat

Indian cricket hit a historic low on Wednesday as Rishabh Pant and his team suffered a shocking 408-run defeat against South Africa in the second Test of the two-match series in Guwahati. Chasing a daunting target of 549, India were bundled out for just 140, with Simon Harmer claiming six wickets to play a pivotal role in the Proteas' emphatic win. This marked India's largest defeat in terms of runs in the history of Test cricket. With this result, South Africa also completed a clean sweep of the series.

This was only the third time India have been whitewashed at home in Test cricket. Notably, two of these instances occurred under the tenure of head coach Gautam Gambhir. Earlier, in November 2024, India suffered a 0-3 defeat against New Zealand at home.

Speaking to the media after the match, Gambhir-known for his candid remarks-admitted that the entire team, including himself, must take responsibility for the loss.

"The blame lies with everyone and starts with me," said Gambhir on being asked about whom should be blamed for the loss.

"We need to play better. From 95/1 to 122/7 is not acceptable. You don't blame any individual or any particular shot. Blame lies with everyone. I never blamed individuals and won't do it going forward," he added.

Under Gambhir, India have lost 10 of the 18 Tests, including twin whitewashes against New Zealand last year and South Africa now, both at home.

Gambhir has of late attracted criticism for frequent changes in the team and his inclination to focus more on all-rounders than specialists in the traditional format.

Speaking about his future, Gambhir stated it is up to the BCCI to decide that. He also gave reminder that under his coaching, India won the Champions Trophy and drew the five-match Test series 2-2 against England. 

"It is up to the BCCI to decide my future. But I am the same guy who got you results in England and was coach for Champions Trophy," Gambhir said. 

Topics mentioned in this article

India Cricket Team South Africa Cricket Team Gautam Gambhir Rishabh Pant India vs South Africa 2025, India Cricket