Gautam Gambhir targeted by ‘Haaye Haaye’ chants after NZ ODIs shame, fans claim Virat Kohli 'loved every moment’
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Another hooting incident surrounding Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir took place supposedly in Indore after India lost their maiden ODI bilateral series to New Zealand at their home. Virat Kohli was left baffled by the incident he witnessed.
India lost their second series within the last three months of international limited-overs cricket. Going to Australia, Shubman Gill took over the captaincy of the ODI team from Rohit Sharma and lost his maiden series on Australian soil. He was then ruled out of the home series against South Africa, where KL Rahul led India to a 2-1 triumph.
Returning as the captain of the Indian team, Gill led India for the first time on home soil against New Zealand. India started the series off with a good win in Vadodara, but the next two matches marked some insane skill sets of the Kiwi batting order, which even lacked many of their frontline players. Daryl Mitchell single-handedly destroyed the Indian hopes, staging the first-ever ODI bilateral series win in India.
Indore crowd chants the 'Gautam Gambhir haaye haaye' slogan, Virat Kohli shocked
After India faced a crushing defeat in Indore, the New Zealand team won their first-ever ODI bilateral series on Indian soil. Another discredit for Indian cricket, and that too in the Gautam Gambhir era.
The Kiwis have undoubtedly been the biggest challengers for the Men in Blue; be it any format of the game, a series, or an ICC tournament, they have stood firm as a major competitor. In recent years, India won against NZ in the ICC World Cup 2023 semi-final and the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 final.
The agitated Indian fans once again protested against Gautam Gambhir, considering that his strategies didn't pay off again. They started hooting from the stands with slogans of 'Gautam Gambhir haaye haaye.' Such an incident had already been noted in Guwahati after India's clean sweep against South Africa in the Test series.
Virat Kohli, the Indian legend who played his part very well with a stunning century, was also present alongside Gambhir on this occasion and was also left shocked by the incident, as even the veteran was witnessing such an incident with a head coach for the first time in his career. Alongside Kohli, all other Indian players were left shocked by such treatment from the Indian crowd.
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Fans believe Kohli loved the moment of Gambhir's disparagement
Though the incident clearly marked Virat Kohli's indifference to the fans' opinion, some have freely mentioned that Kohli was happy when the incident occurred against Gambhir; however, he could not express it only out of courtesy.
The tensions between Gautam Gambhir and several players in the Indian team, especially Virat Kohli, are known to all. The two have never been on the same page; however, any such incidents of mismanagement or disagreement have not surfaced from the Indian dressing room.
Some also believe that Gautam Gambhir was the main conspirator behind Virat Kohli's sudden retirement from the longest format of the game, a format he once loved the most.
IND vs NZ T20I series will be Gambhir's final showdown before the T20 World Cup
Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir has been facing accusations, criticism, and much more ever since he was appointed the head coach of the Indian team. He, too, has failed from time to time, and that has fueled these criticisms.
However, one format where Gambhir has seemed invincible until now is the T20I format. Hence, the New Zealand T20I series, which includes five matches to be played from the 21st of January, will be his final go before the World Cup.
A lot depends on this upcoming World Cup for Gautam Gambhir, as if India lose the ICC title defence, then Gambhir's national coaching career will be under unavoidable threat.
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[Disclaimer: CricketAddictor was unable to independently verify whether the video is authentic or has been doctored.]
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India National Cricket Team New Zealand National Cricket Team India vs New Zealand New Zealand vs India Virat Kohli Gautam Gambhir Shubman GillAbout the Author
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