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Former Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has defended an under-fire Gautam Gambhir after a 2-0 home Test series loss to South Africa. Ashwin believes all the blame cannot be put on Gambhir as players individually need to take responsibility as well.
The former Indian opener has been under massive scrutiny as the Asian giants suffered their second home series sweep in a year. With New Zealand affecting a 3-0 whitewash last year, South Africa have also etched history, blanking India 2-0. The Proteas beat the hosts by a staggering 408 runs in the second Test in Guwahati.
Speaking in the latest video on his YouTube channel 'Ashwin,' the 39-year-old said he would reserve his judegments against Gambhir for now and opined that the Indian batters' defense is quite weak.
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"I question whether India is even a good Test team. They surprised me in England and 2-2 was a massive result for this team. Going after the coach is a favourite topic for everyone right now. Gambhir is not my relative or anything but I would still reserve my judgement for now. I admit there might be mistakes from his side as far as rotating teams go and about the decision-making. But from my side there is only one defense."
"It’s a prized position and several people are after it since huge money is also involved," he continued. "But what can you say about the coach if the batting line-up is going to defend like this? An example is of Tristan Stubbs. His defence was weak almost throughout the series and was dismissed accordingly – low hands and searching for the ball. But he played ugly in his final innings and has faced almost 400 balls in the series. If the Indian team doesn’t have players who can defend that way, what is the point in blaming the coach?"
Pointing to Rishabh Pant's reckless shot in the first innings of the final Test, Ashwin stressed the 28-year-old needed to take accountability as captain.
"Rishabh Pant is a dangerous batter and an outstanding talent. We’ve been hearing about how ‘That’s the way he will play’. India were trailing by 489 runs in the first innings and they needed to play carefully. Dhruv Jurel fell to a pull shot and Pant is the captain. As somebody who is extremely talented and aspires to captain in all three formats, he needed to take responsibility. But he stepped out to Marco Jansen only to get out caught behind. So, where is the accountability for that? A coach cannot come out to bat. Hardly anyone spoke about this," Ashwin said.
Pant stepped up as captain due to Shubman Gill's neck injury sustained during the first innings in Kolkata. The wicketkeeper-batter had also led in the second innings in Kolkata but his captaincy decisions left a lot to be desired in both matches. With the bat, he managed only 49 runs in two games.
"I’m not saying Gautam Gambhir is not responsible" - Ravichandran Ashwin on India's Test struggles
In the same video, the 106-Test veteran opined that India is a mediocre Test team at the moment and that Pakistan beating the Proteas at least in one match raises massive question marks on the Men in Blue.
"I’m not saying Gautam Gambhir is not responsible but he shouldn’t be the only target. There are plenty of problems. It’s a mediocre Test team and it can only beat some teams. If there is no Jasprit Bumrah in the team tomorrow, can it win overseas? If Bumrah is not there and Mohammed Siraj somewhat tapers off, who is there to take wickets? If Pakistan is beating South Africa, who beat India handsomely, it means there is weakness in your team," Ashwin said.
Ashwin added that he hardly saw the players fight and recalled how Greame Smith-led Proteas never let go until the end, elaborating:
"We simply didn’t bat well against spin. What Simon Harmer exhibited in his spin bowling was not present across both sides in the series. What Pakistan did right during the home series against South Africa? They rotated the bowlers well to win that one Test. If they had opened the bowling with Jasprit Bumrah in the morning of Day 3 the Eden Gardens, the series would’ve been 1-1. If we do a man-to-man marking, Indian team has plenty of talent."
"But I wonder if they had the right approach and were ready to put up a fight. Players must be ready to put up a fight. When Greame Smith was South Africa’s captain, he was ready to fight till the end. I didn’t see that fight. We lost that 2012 series vs England but no one blamed the coach. I think each individual need to take that responsibility," he concluded.
India and South Africa will now turn their attention to the ODI series, beginning on November 30.
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