Gautam Gambhir breaks silence on ‘facing heat’ after New Zealand whitewash

Gautam Gambhir attended to press duties for the Indian team on Monday morning, as the date for the beginning of the India-Australia Border-Gavaskar Trophy approaches, ahead of the team’s departure for Perth.

Gambhir, who is entering only his fourth month in charge of the Indian men’s team, has faced some criticism in his nascent coaching career. Being brought in despite relative inexperience, given his success as mentor for the Kolkata Knight Riders, the results haven’t backed up the appointment.

In particular, Gambhir has come in for criticism on social media, where fans have been quick in pointing out his faults and levelling pressure at him following India’s upset loss at the hands of New Zealand this month.

Nevertheless, Gambhir was staunch about his position within the team, stating that he and the team weren’t too concerned about the noise from social media. “What difference does social media make?” said the former Indian opener. “I am not in the heat; there are tough players in the dressing room. Absolute honour to be coaching them.”

Gambhir, along with other Indian senior players such as captain Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and KL Rahul have faced plenty of criticism in the recent past, finding themselves as the target of ire for Indian fans after the 3-0 series loss to New Zealand.

Gambhir’s position at risk?

Gambhir has come under scrutiny for not finding his feet in international cricket, and losing India’s long unbeaten series streak at home in Test cricket. While individual performances were under the microscope, so was the strategy and tactics on use at crucial moments in the series.

While Gambhir’s strategic acumen has been clear to see in the short format, where he led KKR to two IPL trophies as captain and their third as mentor, his relative lack of leadership experience in long-form cricket is a concern for some Indian fans heading into the crucial Border-Gavaskar Trophy series.

India’s heavy 3-0 loss also saw them jeopardise their spot in the WTC final, which has faced additional pressure on Gambhir. As per recent reports, another failure in Australia might see Gambhir’s Test coaching stint cut short, with VVS Laxman said to be in consideration to step in on an emergency basis.

India begin their defence of the BGT on November 22, at the Optus Stadium in Perth.