After Humiliating Series Loss, Injured Shubman Gill Promises ‘Stronger Comeback’
Shubman Gill, India vs South Africa Test: Following the series loss against South Africa, Gill shared a post on X, in which he wrote that the team will emerge stronger despite this defeat.
The Indian team has been getting criticism from every quarter following the 2-0 crushing home defeat against South Africa. South Africa defeated the hosts by a narrow margin of 30 runs in the first Test in Kolkata and by a big margin of 408 runs in the second Test in Guwahati to complete the clean sweep. This was South Africa's first victory on Indian soil in 25 years.
Regular captain Shubman Gill was ruled out of this series with an injury. Suffering the neck injury while batting in the first Test itself, he couldn't bat in the first Test and was ruled out of the second match as well. The captain shared a post on X after the series loss where he mentioned that his team will come back stronger after this defeat.
Gill wrote, "Calm seas don't teach you how to sail; storms only strengthen the strong. Each time, stronger than before, we will continue to trust each other, fight for each other, and move forward." Indian coach Gautam Gambhir, however, took a different stance after the defeat.
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Gambhir said, "It's for the BCCI to decide. I've said this before: Indian cricket is important, I'm not. I'm the man who achieved results in England, won the Champions Trophy and the Asia Cup. This is a team that's learning."
Attributing the defeat to everyone's shortcomings, Gambhir said that India's collapse from 95/1 to 122/7 on the third day highlights the need for stronger execution. He said, "Everyone is at fault, especially me. Going from 95/1 to 122/7 is unacceptable. You can't blame just one person or one particular shot. The fault lies with everyone. I've never blamed anyone, and I won't do that in the future."
He added, "You don't need the most dynamic and talented cricketers to play Test cricket. We need strong individuals with less skill. They make good Test cricketers." He appealed for a change in the prioritization of red-ball cricket across the country, saying, "If you're really serious about Test cricket, then start prioritizing Test cricket. Everyone's effort is needed. You can't just blame the players or any one person."
Former Indian team head coach Srikkanth accused Gambhir of "experimenting too much" and said that constant changes in selection have destroyed the team's stability. He said that while Gambhir may call the changes "trial and error," his own experience shows that consistency is non-negotiable, especially in a team that has now lost nine of its last 18 Tests, including a clean sweep at home against New Zealand.
Srikkant criticized the increasing focus on all-rounders – citing the debuts of Harshit Rana and Nitish Reddy and the reduced opportunities for Sarfaraz Khan, Sai Sudarshan, and Kuldeep Yadav.
He also questioned positional changes, such as Washington Sundar batting at number three in Kolkata and then being sent down. Srikkant was particularly upset with Nitish Reddy's selection, questioning his ability as an all-rounder and questioning how he could be used in place of Hardik Pandya.
