Ravi Shastri said Gautam Gambhir and team India batters are responsible for the falling standards at home. (BCCI)Former India head coach Ravi Shastri minced no words in his assessment of the country’s falling standards in Test cricket under head coach Gautam Gambhir, following their latest 0-2 series defeat to South Africa.
Since taking over as head coach last year, Gautam Gambhir has overseen five Test series, while winning only one home bilateral contest against West Indies in October.
India’s abject surrender to the Proteas in the second Test in Guwahati drew intense scrutiny, with Gambhir coming under fire from fans and experts alike. Shastri said the Indian batters needed to take more responsibility for India’s dismal first-innings collapse, where they folded for 201 in response to South Africa’s massive 489-run total.
“You tell me. What happened in Guwahati – from 100/1, you skip to 130/7 – this team is not that bad either. The team is not that bad; they have enough talent. Therefore, this is where the responsibility must also be taken by the players. You have played spin since childhood,” Shastri said in a teaser podcast released by Prabhat Khabar.
When asked if he was jumping to the defence of the head coach Gambhir, Shastri added: “I’m not protecting [him]. 100 per cent (he is responsible too). When am I saying anything otherwise? Agar yeh mere saath hota, main pehla responsibility leta (Had this happened with me, I would have been the first one to take responsibility. But then, I wouldn’t have spared the players either in the team meeting).
Addressing a question on his future as the Test coach before the media post the Test series defeat, Gambhir had said: “It is up to BCCI to decide. I’ve said it during my first press conference. Indian cricket is important; I’m not. And I sit here and say exactly the same thing.”
“And yes, people can keep forgetting about it. I’m the same guy who got results in England as well, with a young team. I’m sure you guys will forget very soon because a lot of people keep talking about New Zealand. And I’m the same guy under whom we won Champions Trophy and Asia Cup as well,” Gambhir added.
Between 2012 and 2024 where India asserted total dominance at home, Shastri had emerged as India’s most successful Test coach. During his tenure from 2017 to 2021, India had achieved a 65 success rate across formats. Under his and then-captain Virat Kohli’s guidance, the Test team became relentlessly competitive, securing India’s historic first two Test series wins in Australia. This dominance had India maintain the No. 1 Test ranking for 42 months (2016-2021) and reach the inaugural World Test Championship final in 2021.
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