India head coach Gautam Gambhir has found himself at the centre of sharp criticism after the team’s 30-run defeat to South Africa in the opening Test in Kolkata, a loss that added to the scrutiny already building around the former opener following India’s 3-0 home whitewash against New Zealand last year.
But ahead of the second Test in Guwahati, batting coach Sitanshu Kotak strongly pushed back against what he termed as a narrative unfairly directed at Gambhir, hinting that some of the criticism may be driven by “agendas”.
Kotak, speaking at the Barsapara Stadium on Thursday, suggested that Gambhir was being disproportionately targeted, while contributions and errors by players or other support staff were being conveniently ignored.
“One thing I have felt is that people are just saying Gautam Gambhir, Gautam Gambhir, Gautam Gambhir. No one is saying that this batsman did this, this bowler did that, or I could do something different as a batting coach,” Kotak said, making it clear that the finger-pointing had become too one-dimensional.
He stressed that over the last 30-35 matches, India had lost only a couple, yet Gambhir was being singled out solely on the basis of defeats. “From the last 30-35 matches India has played, we have lost just two games or so. No one is giving credit for all the games we won. Based on the two matches that we have lost, everyone’s doing ‘Gautam Gambhir, Gautam Gambhir’.
“I am saying this because I am a [member of coaching] staff and I feel bad. That’s not the way (it should be). Maybe some individuals have some agendas. Good luck to them, but it is very bad,” he added, sharpening the message he wanted to send.
Gambhir’s approach to the Kolkata pitch, which displayed variable bounce from the opening day, was also pulled into the debate, with critics questioning whether the nature of the surface contributed to India’s downfall. Kotak defended the head coach’s handling of the situation, noting that Gambhir had deliberately absorbed the criticism to shield the curator.
“At the press conference after the last match, Gautam took all the blame on himself. He did that because he felt that the blame should not fall on the curator,” Kotak said.
Kotak also explained why the Eden Gardens pitch deteriorated much quicker than expected, clarifying that the surface did not behave as designed or intended.
“Now, what happened in the last match, after the first day, it felt like it was crumbling. The soil was coming off a bit. All of you can see that. That was not expected. Even if spin was expected, it was after three days or on the third day evening. Even the curators did not want it. I am telling you the truth. No one wanted it to be like this.
“Now, from the second day itself, the wicket became too dry. Or the top layer of the wicket, which I read, became too dry. And the layer underneath was very hard because there was a lot of rolling. Probably because of that, this happened, is what I guess,” he explained, distancing the team and the curators from the surface’s unpredictability.
Responding to broader discussions around India’s pitch preferences, Kotak insisted that the team merely seeks to maximise home advantage, the same way overseas teams rely on their own strengths.
“When we go abroad, be it England or Australia, any country will play to its strengths. In India, we rely on spin. We just need a little spin because spin is our strength. Otherwise, genuinely, you can ask any curator, we have never asked for a (pitch where) the match is over in two days or a square turner,” Kotak said.