“He’s saying it’s a rebuild, but it’s not really a rebuild” - Former RCB star fires shots at Gautam Gambhir amid IND vs SA 2025 ODIs

England & India Net Sessions - Source: Getty
Gautam Gambhir has come under massive scrutiny following India's poor recent Test results [Credit: Getty]

Former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) all-rounder Moeen Ali slammed Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir for his 'rebuild' comments after the side's 0-2 home Test series defeat to South Africa. Team India suffered an embarrassing whitewash for a second time in Gambhir's coaching tenure by the Proteas, following their 0-3 setback to New Zealand last year.

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However, the Indian coach defended the poor results by stating that the side was undergoing a rebuilding phase with a slew of younger players. Since Gambhir took over as head coach in the middle of last year, India saw veterans Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Ravichandran Ashwin retire from the red-ball format.

Yet, when asked about India's disappointing 0-2 defeat to South Africa, Ali told NDTV:

"I don't know, it's tough because India expects to win in India all the time. It's not just the news of this series, it's the news of the New Zealand series. I know he's (Gambhir) saying it's a rebuild, but it's not really a rebuild.These guys are top players, one of the top top players."
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He added:

"But having watched a bit, I mean they had a good result in the UK, I thought it was a draw in the end, but India really prides itself. India's on a bit of a different level where they pride themselves on that home in particular."

India has a sub-par Test record under Gambhir, with three series defeats in six affairs and only seven wins in 19 outings.

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"Ashwin is a massive miss" - Moeen Ali

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Moeen Ali believes former spin-bowling all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin is India's biggest miss in home Tests. The 39-year-old finished his stellar red-ball career as India's second-highest wicket-taker with 537 scalps.

With Ashwin leading the spin-bowling attack, Team India did not lose a single home Test series from 2013 until the 2024 defeat to New Zealand.

"I think Ashwin is a massive miss. The spinners they have are good, but Ashwin was the guy who just gave them that. Especially in India, he was outstanding and I think he's a big miss," said Ali (via the aforementioned source).

Ashwin boasted an incredible Test record at home, picking up 383 wickets at an average of 21.57, including 29 five-wicket hauls. He also added immense value with the bat, scoring almost 2,000 Test runs with four centuries at home.

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Edited by Venkatesh Ravichandran
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