Former Indian cricketer Robin Uthappa has stepped up in support of Gautam Gambhir after India’s tough 0-2 Test series defeat to South Africa. According to him, too much of the blame is being thrown at the head coach, while the players are escaping criticism.
Uthappa, who shared the dressing room with Gautam Gambhir both in the Indian team and with Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL, believes fans and experts are oversimplifying the problem by targeting just the coach. India’s Test struggles didn’t start under Gambhir, but the criticism has intensified since he took charge in mid-2024.
Robin Uthappa On Gautam Gambhir’s Future With BCCI
India’s Test form has been worrying. They were beaten 0-3 in New Zealand last year and now 0-2 in South Africa. In the recent Test at Guwahati, South Africa put up 489 in the first innings. India responded with only 201. The visitors then declared at 260 for 5, setting a massive target of 549. India folded for 160, suffering a 408-run defeat.
After the loss, Gautam Gambhir faced heavy backlash. But Sunil Gavaskar publicly defended him, and Uthappa appreciated Gavaskar’s honest take.
On his YouTube show with Jarrod Kimber, Robin Uthappa said, “I liked what Sunny Gavaskar said. Sunny G said you can call for his head if you called for his extension after the Champions Trophy triumph or the Asia Cup. People need someone to blame this on.”
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Uthappa Says India Must Rethink Their Test Approach
The 2007 T20 World Cup winner admitted that some of the complaints being raised are understandable, such as constant chopping and changing in the batting order and the preference for all-rounders over specialist batters. However, he believes blaming only the coach ignores the deeper issues in the team.
Robin Uthappa explained, “Yes, there have been a lot of things said, and I understand where it comes from. People are saying there is no steady batting order, there are too many changes, and there are fewer specialists and more all-rounders in the squad. Those are all very valid points.
I think there needs to be a relook at how Test cricket is approached. That’s certainly valid. There are grievances about his style of coaching. What’s good is that a lot of what Gauti is doing works in white-ball cricket. But will that necessarily work in red-ball cricket? Not always.”
Indian Batters Need to Step Up, Says Robin Uthappa
Robin Uthappa also called out India’s batting group for their lack of responsibility in recent Tests. He stressed that Test cricket requires patience, discipline, and smart decision-making, not just aggressive stroke play.
He added that players need to adapt to the match situation and be willing to grind out tough sessions when needed.
He concluded, “I definitely think you need specialists there. But one thing we are all missing is the fact that no one is really talking about the players and the ownership they should be taking.
Everyone is going after the coach, his record and India’s record in the last year. A lot of valid points have been made about his style of coaching and the discrepancies that exist at this point in time.”
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