Gautam Gambhir under pressure: India head coach faces second painful series defeat in 3 months after New Zealand loss

At the time of Gautam's appointment, Jay Shah praised him, saying, "His clear vision for Team India, along with his extensive experience, makes him the ideal candidate for this coveted coaching position." However, after three months, the situation seems to have taken a less favorable turn.

The recent shock Test series loss against New Zealand at home has now come as a serious eye-opener, and questions need to be asked.

Gambhir's first assignment was the white-ball series against Sri Lanka in August, comprising three T20Is and three ODIs. Under Suryakumar Yadav's leadership, India managed to defeat Sri Lanka 3-0 in the T20I series. The 43-year-old Gambhir was hailed as he managed to bring back Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to play the ODI series, even after the senior pros reportedly had expressed their desire to take a break for the series.

However, things quickly went downhill in the three-match ODI series. India, under the leadership of Rohit Sharma and with all senior batters available, lost the ODI series against Sri Lanka for the first time since 1997. They were not able to win a single ODI in the series.

The series saw too many changes in the batting order. Collapses in the second and third ODI were a testament to that. Gambhir, who has worked as a mentor for Lucknow Super Giants and KKR in the IPL, is known to be in favour of having a flexible batting order in the white-ball formats, but perhaps too much shuffling contributed to India's loss in Sri Lanka.

Come September, India's task was simple: Win all five home Tests to make it to the World Test Championship (WTC) final for the third time in a row and reduce dependency on the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia. The home season started with a bang as India steamrolled Bangladesh in a two-match series, including a famous Kanpur Test win, within two days (three days were lost due to rain).

Riding high on the confidence from beating Bangladesh, who are at the eighth spot in the WTC standings, India's next challenge was against New Zealand. Every cricket fan and pundit expected Rohit Sharma and co to whitewash the Kiwis, considering the latter had been defeated by Sri Lanka 2-0 in September 2024.

Before the series started against New Zealand, Gautam Gambhir addressed a press conference, and he told reporters, that he wants his team to be able to do the two extremes. Score 400 runs in a day or bat out two days to save a Test, as per the requirement of the situation. However, two Tests later, the reality is just too grim, and India's weakness against both the moving ball and spinning wickets has been brutally exposed.

The first Test in Bengaluru saw India being bundled out for 46 in the first innings as the ball moved around under overcast conditions. Sarfaraz Khan and Rishabh Pant did put on a fightback in the second innings, but the task proved to be a bit too much. Heading into the crucial second Test, Rohit and Gambhir opted to go back to the tried and tested formula of spinning pitches, but maybe the duo forgot their own batters' inability to grind it out and do the hard yards.

Mitchell Santner, the old nemesis of this Indian team, picked up 13 wickets in the second Test played at Pune, and this resulted in India's first home Test series loss since 2012. The WTC final qualification now hangs in the balance, and it all depends on the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Gambhir, who was expected to be Team India's knight in shining armour, now has his task out. He first witnessed India lose an ODI series against Sri Lanka after 27 years, and now, under his watch, India has suffered its first home Test series loss in 12 years.

The next assignment is the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, and it is the ultimate litmus test for Gambhir. The former India opener always had the stomach for a fight; the Napier Test in 2009 against New Zealand is the proof. Can he show the same fight to turn it around before the BGT? We all have to wait and watch!