IND vs SA: Guwahati crowd boos Gautam Gambhir after humiliating whitewash - WATCH
Gautam Gambhir took over as the head of the Indian cricket team on a high. The team had just ended its ICC trophy drought and was counted among the top guns in red-ball cricket. While the WTC Final title had evaded India, the unit was practically invincible at home, boasting a 12-year streak of remaining unbeaten in home Test series. However, a little over a year into Gambhir's tenure, India has lost two of the four Test series played at home. Both were clean sweeps, with the touring New Zealand completing a 3-0 whitewash last year and the reigning WTC champions now burying the hosts 2-0 in the IND vs SA contest. While the team bears collective responsibility for the setback, Gambhir stands at the center of the disaster currently unfolding.
“Gambhir haay haay” reverberates at Barsapara after the Proteas thrash the hosts 2-0 in the IND vs SA Test series
The second and final IND vs SA Test marked the Proteas’ first Test series win in India in 25 years. The 410-run defeat in the Guwahati Test, meanwhile, also turned out to be India’s worst-ever loss at home by a margin of runs. Playing without their young skipper Shubman Gill, who sat out with a neck spasm, India showed no character. All the ‘all-rounders’ that Gautam Gambhir fielded made no impact, except for a brief lone fight from Ravindra Jadeja. Collectively, the Rishabh Pant-led side put up no resistance, bundling out for just 140 in the final chase.
As expected, criticism has caught up with Gambhir, who has now lost two home Test series as India’s head coach. Keeping the online outrage aside, the former Indian cricketer was made aware of the general sentiment among the fans at the Barsapara Stadium. A video has surfaced on the internet in which the crowd can be heard booing the India head coach after the 2-0 whitewash in the IND vs SA Test series. Gambhir did not react as the fans chanted, “Gambhir haay haay.”
🚨: Angry Fans chanted "Gautam Gambhir Hay Hay" in front of Gautam Gambhir after India’s embarrassing Test series loss at Guwahati stadium. pic.twitter.com/7gq4T1lq8j
— 𝐑𝐮𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐢𝐢⁴⁵ (@rushiii_12) November 26, 2025
While Gambhir did not confront the agitated fans, the head coach put up a bold front in the press conference following the Guwahati Test. In the moments after India’s humiliation, Gautam Gambhir felt it was the right time to remind everyone of his achievements. An irked Gambhir brought up India’s Champions Trophy win to cover up the red-ball fiasco. Furthermore, the former Indian batter cited the India vs England series, where a young unit led by Shubman Gill managed to draw the five-Test contest 2-2.
The IND vs SA series has been eventful, to say the least. India's struggles across the Kolkata Test and the Guwahati Test even prompted South Africa coach Shukri Conrad to remark that he wanted the hosts to “grovel.” Amid the controversy stirred by Conrad, the fact that India has lost its “invincible” stature at home remains unchanged and is a pressing concern. While Gambhir addressed the glaring shortcomings of the Indian team and acknowledged that he was as responsible for the defeat as the players, the India head coach seemed intent on evading accountability.
"It is up to the BCCI to decide. I said it in my first press conference when I took over as the head coach that Indian cricket is important; I am not. And I sit here sticking by the same thing. And yes, people can keep forgetting that I am the same guy who got results in England as well with a young team. And I am sure you guys will forget pretty soon. A lot of people keep talking about New Zealand, but I am the same guy under whom, India won the Champions Trophy and the Asia Cup as well. This is a team which has less experience. I have said this before as well, that they need to keep learning and do everything possible to turn the tide,” Gambhir said.
