Former Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar has come out in defence of Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir in the midst of a rising sentiment of criticism towards the latter after India's Test series loss to South Africa. The series loss to South Africa was the third series defeat in Test cricket with Gambhir at the helm.

According to Gavaskar, the onus of performance once on the field lay on the players and not the coach. He questioned Gambhir's critics as to why the former left-handed batter was not provided adequate appreciation for his recent title wins.

“A coach can prepare you, guide you, share all his experience, but once you step on those 22 yards, it’s the players who have to deliver.

If you didn’t give Gambhir credit for the 2025 Champions Trophy win or the 2025 Asia Cup triumph, why blame him now? You can’t ignore the wins and only react to the losses,” stated Gavaskar during an interaction with India Today.

There is a lot of buzz on social media surrounding Gambhir's coaching role. The cricket fraternity and especially Indian cricket fans have ripped the World Cup-winning member apart on social media for how India's Test dominance at home has regressed under his reign.

Speaking of India's Test series against the Proteas, they lost the series-opening clash at the Eden Gardens by 30 runs. It was a low-scoring contest which went in the hands of the Temba Bavuma-led unit.

The second Test in Guwahati was a case of total domination by the tourists.

The Men in Blue will now take on the South Africans in three ODIs which will be followed by five T20Is. The all-format series, which got underway on November 14, will conclude on December 19. It remains to be seen what the decision in relation to Gambhir will be once the series ends.