ZERO: Performance rating of Suryakumar Yadav, Shubman Gill and coach Gautam Gambhir
This is turning out to be a new low for Indian cricket, losing a T20 international to South Africa by a whopping 51-run margin on Thursday night in Mullanpur, near Chandigarh. In what has now become a familiar trend, the sight of Shubman Gill being dismissed for a zero and captain Suryakumar Yadav again failing has set the alarm bells ringing. What is even more shocking, the sanctity of a batting order is being desecrated. To send Axar Patel at No.3 slot made no sense at all.
The agenda-driven coach Gautam Gambhir is being called out by many former players with Robbie Uthappa not mincing words on Thursday night in front of the cameras. There is every reason for anger, since the way the batting order has been reduced to a façade is shocking.
It was, as if in unison, where, first coach Gautam Gambhir sang the batting order was not sacrosanct. Like a parrot, skipper Suryakumar Yadav also sang these lines. Were these rehearsed or the mission is not to build, but destroy, is now being called out by fans on social media as well as former cricketers. How can there be a batting line-up which does not know when it has to step out.
There are two types of former cricketers who are voicing their views. Why it is important to hear them, the contemporary ones have played at the highest level or been part of the Indian Premier League. One comment was more than apt, where it recalled the playing position of Gautam Gambhir, himself, when he played for India. It was in the top 3. Gambhir knew where he was batting and could make the mental preparation. So, why is he so hell bent on destroying the confidence of the Indian batters? As for commentators on the BCCI payrolls, indirectly, they will not be truthful while doing commentary.
When India won the ICC T20 World Cup in the West Indies last year, the performances were consistent, each player’s role was marked out, and the way coach Rahul Dravid handled the team was calm and soothing. No commentator or cricketer was slamming Dravid, even if there was a blip in performance.
The situation now is hostile. If Gambhir wants cricket fans to believe he is experimenting in a positive manner, the results are to the contrary. Even in the first T20 international against South Africa, India won because of the heroics of Hardik Pandya. It is not for one all-rounder to deliver each time.
To see the skipper and vice-captain look clueless is cruel. Suryakumar Yadav looks meek and is definitely a puppet on strings, with no say in decision making. No captain will want such instability, where losses are more predictable than wins. As for Shubman Gill, he is not a player for the shortest format called T20 internationals.
Add to it the selection matters, it stinks. How and why Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sanju Samson are being kept out is crazy. We heard a fortnight back the BCCI will back Gambhir at any cost. However, there were murmurs Ajit Agarkar, chairman of the selection committee, was pulled up by the BCCI.
In all this madness, what is hard to understand, why experimentation is being done so close to the 2026 ICC T20 World Cup, where India are the hosts and defending champions. After losing the Test series to South Africa, Gambhir spoke to the media and said one needed to look at how Team India fared in England and the Asia Cup. He was taking credit for it.
Just as a player is picked on form, a coach should also be picked on performance. Right now, the appraisal form for Gambhir reads ZERO. He is ruining Indian cricket. Period. Personal bias and agendas do not work in sports.
