Following a humiliating 0-2 Test series loss to South Africa national cricket team, veteran cricketer Sunil Gavaskar publicly defended Gautam Gambhir, calling out critics for their selective memory. India suffered a heavy defeat — a 408-run thrashing in the second Test at Guwahati — which triggered a torrent of criticism against the head coach.
Gavaskar argued that many of those now condemning Gambhir had remained silent when India tasted success under him, pointing out that the same coach had guided the side to earlier triumphs.
He asked pointedly, “What did you do when India won the Champions Trophy under him? What did you do when India won the Asia Cup under him?” His message: if people refuse to acknowledge victories, they have no right to single him out for failure.
Criticism vs. Context — Who really deserves blame?
Gavaskar emphasised that while coaches can prepare a team and strategise, ultimately it’s on the players to deliver when they are out on the field. He argued that blaming Gambhir alone ignores the broader context: the unpredictability of sport — one bad series doesn’t erase past successes.
He also defended Gambhir’s right to coach all formats of the game, drawing a parallel to other teams where a single coach handles multiple formats. According to Gavaskar, the real issue isn’t the coaching per se — but the way critics hastily jump on coaches at the first sign of failure, while overlooking their previous achievements.
A call for balanced assessment and fairness
Gavaskar’s intervention is essentially a plea for balance and fairness in public and expert opinion. He urges fans and pundits to acknowledge that past successes under Gambhir should count — not just recent failures.
In his view, if critics are unwilling to credit the coach when the team wins, they should not rush to condemn him when results go south.
By keeping the spotlight solely on the coach, without recognising the unpredictability of performance and the role of players, the criticism becomes one-sided and, arguably, unjustified.
In essence, Gavaskar believes accountability must be holistic — players, coaches, management — not scapegoating one individual when things go wrong.
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