'Dark Era For Indian Cricket': Fans Want Gautam Gambhir Sacked After South Africa Thrash India At Home

Following India’s humiliating defeat at the hands of South Africa in Guwahati, calls are growing louder for sacking of India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir. South Africa completed a 2-0 whitewash by beating India by 408 runs in Guwahati on Wednesday, following a victory in Eden Gardens in the first match.

"It is for the BCCI to decide. I have said this before as well, Indian cricket is important, I am not important. I am the same guy who got results in England, won the Champions Trophy, and the Asia Cup," Gambhir said at the post-match press conference.

He was referring to India's victory in the Champions Trophy and a 2-2 draw against England on the opposition’s home turf earlier this year.

Both India’s mauling as well as Gambhir’s comments in the aftermath of the Guwahati Test match haven’t gone down well with social media users.

One user wrote, "This Press Conference is getting worse with every passing minute!"

Many people are mocking Gambhir’s statements. A person wrote, "If you listened to Gautam Gambhir's press conference, you might come out of it with a feeling of guilt, thinking you were also personally responsible for India losing 0-3 against New Zealand and 0-2 against South Africa," wrote sports journalist Vinayakk Mohanarangan.

Another fan said, "First says - 'I'm not important' and then goes on to ask credit for the results in England, Champions Trophy & Asia Cup immediately in the next sentence."

Highlighting apparent contradictions in Gambhir’s statements, a comment read, "Gautam Gambhir is Donald Trump of Indian cricket."

"Phewww, Listened to Gautam Gambhir's press conference. For a minute, I felt like I'm responsible for India's loss and everything that is wrong with the team. How?" remarked a user.

Taking a dig at Gambhir's apparent lack of accountability, one user mockingly said, "Gambhir is scolding journalists because the media is not taking Test Cricket seriously."

Many fans highlighted India's poor Test record under Gambhir.

"Gautam Gambhir deserved to be sacked after this series. That's it," said one person.

"Irrespective of the outcome of this test, Gambhir should give up coaching the Test team. Any sane, self introspecting individual would do that. Test coaching is not for him. He should swallow his ego and pride and quietly walk away. And India fans would respect him for that," observed another user.

Some also chose to add dark humour to the episode. 

“I've told you, this dark era for Indian cricket under Gautam Gambhir, will be known as the 2G scam,” said one user.

With Gambhir at the helm, India have endured 10 defeats from 18 Tests, highlighted by twin home whitewashes against New Zealand in 2024 and South Africa in 2025.

"We need to play better. From 95/1 to 122/7 is not acceptable. You don't blame any individual or any particular shot. Blame lies with everyone. I never blamed individuals and won't do it going forward," Gambhir said at the post-match press conference.

Gambhir has recently faced criticism for his frequent team changes and preference for all-rounders over specialists in the Test format. However, when questioned on the qualities required for success in Tests, he emphasised the need for “tough characters” in the squad.

"You don't need the most flamboyant and talented cricketers to play Test cricket. What we need is tough characters with limited skills. They make good Test cricketers," he said.