Gautam Gambhir provided a soft cushion by former teammate; players blamed for India's loss

Former Indian cricketer Atul Wassan said that he feels sorry for head coach Gautam Gambhir after the Indian team’s Test series loss to New Zealand. Atul Wassan said that there is a lot of pressure on Gautam Gambhir, especially after the team’s first home series defeat in 12 years against New Zealand.

The Tom Latham-led team created history by securing a 113-run victory in the Pune Test on October 26. New Zealand recorded their first-ever Test series victory on Indian soil after taking an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series. It was also India's first home Test series defeat since 2012-13.

I Feel Sorry For Gautam Gambhir - Atul Wassan

Speaking after the Rohit Sharma-led side's dismal show, Atul Wassan said that Gautam Gambhir has come under scrutiny following the Indian team's disappointing performance in the recent Test series. Wassan also pointed out that New Zealand had suffered a two-match Test series loss to Sri Lanka by 2-0.

"I feel sorry for Gautam Gambhir to have this albatross across his neck now for losing this series after 12 years, and that too against a team that lost against Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka recently. And we are talking about winning the WTC final... In the backdrop of all this, I still cannot overcome this feeling that we have lost within three days," Wassan told PTI.

VIDEO | "I feel sorry for Gautam Gambhir to have this albatross across his neck now for losing this series after 12 years, and that too against a team that lost against Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka recently. And we are talking about winning the WTC final... In the backdrop of all this,… pic.twitter.com/9dWYH6YCcL

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) October 26, 2024

India suffered a shocking collapse and was bowled out for only 46 runs in the first innings of the opening Test in Bengaluru. Notably, it was India's lowest Test total at home. The visiting team made the most of that and secured an eight-wicket victory, which was their first Test win in India since 1988.

It's Very Shocking For Me - Atul Wassan

Atul Wassan expressed his surprise over India's unexpected Test series defeat to New Zealand. The 56-year-old stated that he never imagined India would lose to New Zealand, especially by a 2-0 margin. He stated that it's very difficult to put a finger on a single reason for the disappointing outcome.

"I think it's very difficult to put finger on one thing which went wrong, but it's very shocking for me. I couldn't, even in my wildest dreams, think that we would lose to New Zealand and that too 2-0 in such a manner. I cannot actually fathom what went wrong," Wassan said.

VIDEO | "I think it's very difficult to put finger on one thing which went wrong, but it's very shocking for me. I couldn't, even in my wildest dreams, think that we would lose to New Zealand and that too 2-0 in such a manner. I cannot actually fandom what went wrong," says… pic.twitter.com/lQgDsxXjLA

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) October 26, 2024

The Third Test Match Set To Commence On November 1

The Rohit Sharma-led team is still at the top of the World Test Championship points table despite suffering consecutive losses. They will play the third and final Test against New Zealand at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai from Friday, November 1. This match is crucial for them to reach the WTC final.

The Men in Blue will then travel to Australia for the Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25 series, under Gautam Gambhir. They will need to win the five-match Test series against the Pat Cummins-led side, which is set to commence on November 22 in Perth.

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