India head coach Gautam Gambhir has had enough. The former opener reportedly lost his cool and lashed out at the Indian cricketers in the dressing room after yet another batting collapse saw them surrender the fourth Test match to Australia by 184 runs at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. India lost seven wickets for just 34 runs in the final session of Day 5 to get bowled out for 155 in their 340-run chase. The victory gave Australia an unassailable 2-1 lead and practically ended India’s chances of making it to the World Championship final for the third time in a row.
When India went to Tea with three down, a draw seemed to be the likeliest result. Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal batted out the entire second session, making the Australian bowlers look benign. But tragedy struck at the start of the last session.
In a bizarre move, Australia decided to start the proceedings from both ends, with off-spinners Nathan Lyon and Travis Head working in tandem. Australia’s plan was simple. They wanted India to make a mistake, and Pant did exactly that. Despite three boundary riders stationed on the on-side, Pant attempted a lofted shot to a half-tracker from Head and ended up providing a catch in the deep mid-wicket boundary to Mitchell Marsh.
After Pant’s dismissal, the floodgates opened as Australia ran through India’s lower middle order within an hour to register a sensational win. The shots that Pant (30), Jaiswal (84) and Virat Kohli (5) played were baffling, to say the least, as India, from the beginning of the second innings, aimed for a draw instead of pressing for a win. Captain Rohit Sharma, too, has been disappointing, to say the least. For the first time in this series, he got his eyes in but played a loose shot off Cummins to lose his wicket.
Gambhir was reportedly unhappy with the way some of the batters got out. There have been far too many collapses in the last year, leading to multiple defeats. According to an Indian Express report, Gambhir said, “Enough is enough” in the dressing room.
“Shortly after India lost seven wickets in 20.4 overs and handed the Melbourne Test to Australia, head coach Gautam Gambhir had some stern words for the entire squad in the dressing room on Monday. “Bahut ho gaya (I’ve had enough),” the report stated.
Gambhir threatens to drop those not following his orders
It added that Gambhir did not take any names, but his indication was clear: Forget your natural and play according to the situation and the team’s needs.
Gambhir, who took over from Rahul Dravid after India’s T20 World Cup win, has already seen quite a few lows in his tenure. India lost their first ODI series in Sri Lanka in more than decades and then were handed the heaviest defeat at home by New Zealand. The Tom Latham-led side became the first team to whitewash India at home.
Things looked like they were taking a different turn in Australia when India, led by Jasprit Bumrah (Rohit was unavailable to lead due to the birth of his second child), put on an inspired performance to beat Australia in the first Test. But since then, it all went downhill. India lost the day-night test by 10 wickets. The third Test in Brisbane could have easily gone Australia’s way had rain not rescued India.
After losing the Melbourne Test because of another batting collapse, Gambhir reportedly told the members of Team India to abide by his methods and techniques or else face the axe.
“Gambhir, who took over as coach on July 9, is learnt to have talked about how he had let the team do what it wanted for the “last six months” but would now “decide” how they would play. In a veiled warning to players to toe the line, he is learnt to have said that going ahead, those who don’t abide by his pre-decided team strategy would be given a “thank you”,” the report added.
