"It’s not the coach who is playing" - Former India batter defends Gautam Gambhir amid criticism after defeat in IND vs SA 2025 1st Test

Former India batter Robin Uthappa defended head coach Gautam Gambhir after the defeat against South Africa in the first Test in Kolkata. Gambhir has been subject to criticism as it was India's fourth defeat in six home Tests since he took over.

There have been talks over Gambhir being sacked among fans as well. However, Uthappa stated that the same fans also went behind former head coach Rahul Dravid at one stage. He reflected that the coach cannot go out on the field and play. Highlighting that the current Indian team has more developing players following the retirements of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Ravichandran Ashwin, along with Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane no longer in the setup.

"Its not the coach who is playing. What kind of a question is that? People have gone after Rahul Dravid. If he can get trolled and be called, people will call anybody. We anticipated a bit of a dip. Before the England series we were saying we have to be realistic with the expectations. This is side sans Kohli, Rohit, Ashwin, Pujara, Rahane. So its going to be a young side and they will have to show a lot of character. They outdid themselves in England," he said on his YouTube channel.

Uthappa reckoned the expectations were high given the reputation the team had built over the years. However, he reminded the fans that this team is now in transition and hence the expectations needed to be more realistic. He also urged the team to play on turners but not on poor wickets such as that in the Kolkata Test.

"Because it is the Indian team and there are expectations, you cannot escape the fact that this team is under transition. You have to measure your expectations, whether it is home or away. They have the potential to be WTC champions, but not this cycle, maybe in the next cycle. So use this cycle to develop them and give exposure, continue to play on turners but not on underprepared wickets like in Kolkata."

Chasing 124 for victory in the first Test, India were bowled out for just 93 and lost by 30 runs against the Proteas. Last year, they suffered a 0-3 whitewash against New Zealand at home.

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Robin Uthappa calls the Kolkata wicket a 'horrible batting track' after India's defeat

Robin Uthappa criticised the wicket at the Eden Gardens after India's defeat. He called it a horrible batting track. Notably, batters from both teams struggled throughout, and the Test was completed inside two and a half days.

"It was not a turning track, it was a horrible batting track. It was a bad wicket. No batter could ever feel set. There's not just turn but variable bounce as well. You cannot assume that you are set on this kind of a wicket," he said.

Uthappa also highlighted the fact that apart from KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja, all batters in the current Indian Test side are those who have played more on seam-friendly tracks. Therefore, he reckoned that they did not have the exposure of playing on ambitious turning wickets like that in Kolkata. As the players were not equipped and prepared well enough, he reflected that getting favorable results while playing on such pitches was impossible.

He also felt that the Indian team misjudged the conditions. While they assumed it would only be a turner, it was not the case.

"I think they've made a gross error in judgment. If you are playing four spinners, you don't need to change the genetics of the pitch. You want to stay true to the nature of the wicket and then try to get a result. They have doctored it and assumed that it would be a turner, but it ended up being a very bad wicket. It became an absolute punt where any team could have won the game," he reflected.

The second Test will be played in Guwahati beginning November 22. India will aim to bounce back and draw level to avoid a series defeat.