South Africa Test captain Temba Bavuma believes India head coach Gautam Gambhir will come under pressure as he navigates a transitional phase in Test cricket, but added that strong results in the white-ball formats could help buy him time to stabilise the red-ball side.
Bavuma, who led South Africa to a historic 2-0 Test series win over India in November, reflected on the contrasting fortunes of the Indian team across formats. While India stumbled in the Test series, they rebounded emphatically in the limited-overs leg of the home series, defeating South Africa 2-1 in the ODIs and 3-1 in the T20Is.
The ODI series saw senior batters Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli return to form with a string of centuries and half-centuries, underlining India’s continued dominance in the format. Bavuma pointed out the stark difference in India’s strength when those senior players were unavailable in Tests.
“You saw how India performed in the ODI space with their two stalwarts, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, versus in the Test game, where those two weren’t available for selection. When it comes to the red-ball stuff, India are definitely a team in transition,” Bavuma wrote in an ESPNcricinfo column.
The South Africa captain acknowledged that Gambhir faces a challenging task in rebuilding India’s Test side and will need patience as results fluctuate. “India coach Gautam Gambhir has a lot of pressure on his shoulders, and I think he is going to have to take it as it comes. He is going to have to find a way to buy himself time in the red-ball game, and I’m of the view that the performances in white-ball cricket may assist him,” he added.
Bavuma suggested that the presence of Rohit and Kohli in the ODI set-up, especially with the 2027 World Cup in view, will help ease the burden on Gambhir in the shorter formats.
“In ODIs, Kohli and Rohit will naturally take on a lot more responsibility from a performance and leadership point of view. So I think Gambhir will be okay in terms of his position. However, from a red-ball point of view, it’s going to be tough for this Indian team in the near future.”
Ruling out the idea of split coaching across formats, Bavuma said he did not believe the BCCI appointed Gambhir with a short-term outlook. “They want him to be successful over a period of two to four years. In that period, things are not going to be all good all the time. It needs to be about the long term. There will be opportunities for players at the domestic level, and there are spaces up for grabs within the Test team,” he said.
The World Test Championship-winning captain also revisited South Africa’s Test series triumph, highlighting how India’s injury setbacks played a key role. Bavuma recalled that India Test captain Shubman Gill suffered a neck injury during the first innings of the opening Test at Eden Gardens and was subsequently ruled out of the second match in Guwahati.
“Looking back now, we exploited the opportunity with a senior player like him not being there. Gill not being able to contribute with the bat played heavily in our favour. India had to have a makeshift captain, Rishabh Pant, and a new No. 4. With Gill back from injury, I think things will equalise a bit more and it’s not all doom and gloom for India,” Bavuma wrote.