India suffered 1-3 series defeat by Australia in the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. In the last Test of the series, Australia beat India by 6 wickets to put the series in their bag.
After the defeat, India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir was visibly unhappy with the team’s performance, but claimed that the atmosphere in the locker room will always be happy. Gambhir spoke about being honest with the players and trying various methods to improve Indian cricket.
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Gautam Gambhir calls for fairness and equality after India’s defeat
After the match, Gautam Gambhir addressed the press in which he answered various questions related to India’s defeat. He spoke of honesty and fairness to every player in the dressing room and non-discrimination between seniors and juniors.
“For the dressing room to be happy, I have to be absolutely fair, equal and fair to everyone. I know we didn’t get the result, and that’s frustrating, challenging; but whatever we can do in the best interest of Indian cricket, that will continue to happen in that dressing room. Gambhir said.
The series was a challenging one for India as several big names failed to perform on the big stage. Senior players like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma looked terribly out of form and barely contributed to the team.
Their failures were one of the biggest reasons behind India’s defeat and continued failures in the batting department. It remains to be seen how Gautam Gambhir, who is usually straightforward, will handle this difficult situation.
“It’s not my team or your team” – Gautam Gambhir
Gautam Gambhir further spoke about his hunger and desire to perform in international cricket. Although he did not mention names, it was clear that he was talking about Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. The former India opener wants his players to keep the team first before individual interests.
“Each individual knows at which stage his game and his hunger are. This is the most important thing for any sport, any profession – how hungry are you, how passionate are you and does the team progress with your contribution or not? Because ultimately it’s not mine or yours team, it’s the country’s team,” said the coach.
Virat Kohli has scored 190 runs in the five Tests of this series at an average of 23.75. After a magnificent hundred in Perth, his numbers dipped and he was constantly troubled by the ball outside the off-stump.
On the other hand, Rohit Sharma had more disappointing returns and even had to sit out the last Test in Sydney. Rohit scored 31 in three Tests at an average of 6.20. In his absence the co-captain Jasprit Bumrah led the side.
Fair treatment to every player
Equal treatment towards players is one of the biggest challenges for a coach, and Gautam Gambhir also spoke about it. He wants to be fair to every player, be he senior or junior.
“If I am fair to just two or three individuals and not to others, then I am being unfair to my job. So whether it is a player yet to make his debut or a player who has played 100 test matches, the simple aim of my job is to I have to be absolutely fair and equal to everyone,” revealed Gambhir.
With this result, Australia finally won the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after a decade. They have lost four Test series against India since their triumph in 2014-15. It also ends India’s chances of qualifying for the WTC finals.
