India bounced back strongly on Saturday, crushing South Africa by nine wickets in the third ODI and sealing the series 2–1. After the emphatic win, head coach Gautam Gambhir delivered a sharp rebuttal to the criticism he faced following India’s shocking Test whitewash against the Proteas earlier in the tour.
During the post-match press conference in Visakhapatnam, Gambhir said he was disappointed that critics ignored the context behind the Test defeats—especially the fact that India lost captain Shubman Gill to injury during the very first Test.
“Facts Were Ignored Just Because I Don’t Make Excuses”
Gambhir stressed that the negative commentary around the Test series was unfair and lacked nuance.
“A lot was said because results didn’t go our way,” Gambhir remarked. “But no media outlet mentioned that we played the first Test without our captain, who didn’t bat in either innings. We lost that match by just 30 runs.
Just because I don’t make excuses in press conferences doesn’t mean people should hide facts from the country.”
The head coach highlighted that India is going through a transition phase in red-ball cricket, which naturally comes with challenges. He emphasized Gill’s importance, calling him India’s most in-form Test batter with nearly 1,000 runs in his last seven matches.
Gambhir Criticizes IPL Team Owner for Jumping Into ‘Coaching’ Debate
A visibly frustrated Gambhir also condemned the chatter around “split coaching,” an idea floated publicly by an unnamed IPL franchise owner.
“People who have nothing to do with cricket started making comments. An IPL team owner talked about split coaching. It’s surprising.
It’s important people stay within their domain. If we don’t interfere in their work, they shouldn’t interfere in ours.”
India Prevents Embarrassing Home Double Defeat
India’s Test loss to South Africa was historic for the wrong reasons—it was their first home Test series defeat to the Proteas in more than 25 years. It also came soon after a whitewash at home against New Zealand, putting Gambhir under renewed scrutiny as head coach.
The ODI series briefly looked headed the same way. India won the first ODI, but South Africa equalled the record for the highest successful run chase against India in the second, putting the Men in Blue on the verge of losing both the Test and ODI series to a visiting team for the first time since the 1986–87 season.
However, India produced a commanding performance in the decider:
- Prasidh Krishna and Kuldeep Yadav picked up four wickets each to dismantle the South African lineup.
- Yashasvi Jaiswal slammed his maiden ODI hundred.
- Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma contributed elegant half-centuries.
The comprehensive win not only sealed the ODI series but also gave Gambhir the perfect platform to respond to criticism.
