The repeated Test whitewash losses at home have brought into sharp focus a central question: who is to blame for the decline of the Indian team? Heavy defeats for a major cricket team are often met with strict responses by boards. India has taken that route before. For the second home Test whitewash this year, the discussion is veering toward head coach Gautam Gambhir.
And for almost two decades, most of the Indian coaches indeed turned in good performances. Greg Chappell was the notable exception; his spats with senior players and generally erratic results hurt the team. Later, Gary Kirsten rejuvenated India's performance through hard work with MS Dhoni. Ravi Shastri, Anil Kumble and Rahul Dravid have also kept the standards high. The team also remained stable when Kumble and captain Virat Kohli fell out.
Under Gautam Gambhir, however, India's Test results have sharply declined. A team that did not lose a single home Test series in twelve years lost two successive series by a margin of whitewash within a year. That 0–3 loss to New Zealand was a huge disappointment. India went into that series as favourites and returned with unfulfilled promises. Though fans were expecting a strong comeback, the recent whitewash against South Africa raised several question marks. To lose a game while chasing just 124 runs in the first Test and then to lose the second Test by 408 runs reflected a fall in standards of this team.
The blame often falls on captains and players. This time, Gambhir has to bear most of the pressure, and several reasons substantiate the criticism he faces.
Senior Players Stepped Down — Should the Coach Face Similar Accountability?
Indirectly, the defeat at the hands of New Zealand last year marked the end of the careers of three senior players. For a while, Ravichandran Ashwin was India's strongest match-winner in home Tests; after some fierce criticism, he announced his retirement from international cricket. His last overseas appearance came in Australia, where he played only one match and failed to make much impact. His retirement was considered an act to take responsibility for his earlier performance.
This defeat further put players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli under added pressure. When the next series was lost in Australia, with further scrutiny, both those players had prepared for the England series but pulled out of Test cricket. Reports suggested it was Gambhir's approach that had made them uncomfortable and contributed to the decision. Many believed they were being held responsible for consecutive series losses.
Hence, defeat against New Zealand saw three of its iconic players leave the Test format. Now the debate is back. After the whitewash in South Africa, discussions are centring over who is to blame this time. Gambhir had been at the coaching helm during each of India's important defeats in recent times - the whitewash in New Zealand, the defeat at the hands of Australia in the Test and India's first ODI loss to Sri Lanka in 27 years. It also lost an ODI series to Australia this year. No Indian coach since the Kirsten era has witnessed this magnitude of failures within such a short period - all inside 15 months. Several selection decisions of Gambhir's have come under question. He has been criticized for the pitch preparation strategy in Test matches. There were also allegations that he handled the senior players Ashwin, Rohit, and Kohli poorly. There were concerns that the team environment was weakened after Gambhir came in. With criticism growing over performance, decision-making, team dynamics and match preparation, discussions have suggested that Gambhir may have to relinquish his head coach role.
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