Indian Fans Want Gautam Gambhir Sacked After South Africa’s Massive 1st Innings Total in Deciding Guwahati Test

Gautam Gambhir's Indian side finished the second day against South Africa in Guwahati at 9/0 after 6 overs, with poor light halting play.

Indian Fans Want Gautam Gambhir Sacked After South Africa’s Massive 1st Innings Total in Deciding Guwahati Test

Fans slammed Gautam Gambhir, after South Africa dominated India on Day 2 of the second Test. (via News 18)

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The Indian red-ball side finds itself on the backfoot, with South Africa having put up a massive first innings total of 489 runs on the board, in the series decider in Guwahati. India’s harrowing position has put head coach Gautam Gambhir at the center of criticism, with fans wanting him out.

The Men in Blue had hoped to avenge their 30-run defeat to the Proteas in the opening Test in Kolkata, until the visitors won the toss and elected to bat first in Guwahati. India already faced a major setback before the start of the second Test, with captain Shubman Gill ruled out due to a neck injury. The 26-year-old suffered a neck spasm while batting on Day 2 in Eden Gardens, and even spent a night at the hospital.

Once it was confirmed that Gill would not be fit in time to make it to the playing XI, Rishabh Pant replaced him as the stand-in skipper, while Sai Sudharsan occupied his no.3 batting spot. At the ACA Stadium, the Proteas got off to a good start, thanks to an 82-run opening stand. However, it was the lower order batters, who helped the visitors to a massive first innings total of 489 runs in the end.

Senuran Muthusamy scored his maiden international hundred, hitting 109 runs off 206 deliveries. Marco Jansen was also racing to his first Test century, but fell short in the end by seven runs, to finish with 93 runs off 91 balls.

With the Indian bowling attack struggling, despite all five specialist bowlers having bowled 25 or more overs in the first innings, coupled with the ineffectiveness of the spinners, it raised questions on head coach Gautam Gambhir’s ability.

With a place in the 2027 WTC final up for contention, calls have been made from all side for the 44-year-old Team India head coach to be sacked from position, given the poor returns in the longest format of the game. Under Gambhir, the Men in Blue have lost nine out of the 17 Test matches they have played, including a humiliating 0-3 defeat to New Zealand at home in 2024, adding to the woes.

Gambhir’s role as a coach also comes under fire, given the Indian Test team finds itself on the fourth spot on the 2025-27 WTC standings, behind Australia, South Africa and Sri Lanka. Losing the second Test to the Proteas might put Gambhir under pressure. 

Ajinkya Rahane Highlights India’s No. 3 Struggles, Advises Gautam Gambhir to Tread Carefully

Out-of-favor Indian star Ajinkya Rahane urged head coach Gautam Ganbhir to stop changing batters for the noumber three position in the Test lineup. He instead suggested that the management should finalize on a pick for a new no. 3 batter, while also making him a ‘long-term’ option.

Ajinkya Rahane to Gautam Gambhir
Ajinkya Rahane urged Gautam Gambhir to not keep shuffling India’s no. 3 batter in the longest format. (via Hindustan Times)

Since Gautam Gambhir took over as the head coach of the Indian national team, there has been a lot of instability, especially in the Test playing XI, due to the lack of a strong number three batter. Gambhir has shuffled between Sai Sudharsan, Karun Nair, and most recently, Washington Sundar. However, a settled choice is yet to emerge, with Ajinkya Rahane stating that the changes might hurting players’ careers.

Speaking to R Ashwin on his YouTube show, Rahane suggested the team go ahead with Sai Sudharsan at no.3, as well as to give him the ‘long rope’, as he did well in some of India’s matches. The 37-year-old also noted that for Washington Sundar, who is a bowling all-rounder and typically bats down the order, batting up would be a challenge, as it requires a different skill set and a specific form of training.

I’ll take a name, Sai Sudharsan. He did well, scored 87 and 39. Batting at No. 3 requires a completely different skill set compared to 6 or 7. Washy [Washington Sundar] is an amazing talent, but batting at No. 3 can be confusing for him.

Sai Sudharsan is expected to come out to bat at no.3 on the third day of India’s ongoing Test match against South Africa in Guwahati, with the team currently trailing by 480 runs. The Tamil Nadu batter in fact, is seen by many as a perfect replacement for Cheteshwar Pujara. 

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