‘I would’ve taken responsibility first’ – Ravi Shastri slams India’s decline in Tests under Gautam Gambhir | CricTracker

Former India head coach Ravi Shastri minced no words while assessing the team’s declining standards in Test cricket under current head coach Gautam Gambhir, following their 0-2 series defeat to South Africa. Since taking charge last year, Gambhir has overseen five Test series, winning only one, a home bilateral against West Indies in October.

India’s meek surrender to the Proteas in the second Test in Guwahati has drawn heavy scrutiny, with Gambhir facing criticism from fans and experts alike. Shastri stressed that the Indian batters must take greater responsibility for the team’s dismal first-innings collapse, where they were bowled out for 201 in reply to South Africa’s imposing 489.

“You tell me. What happened in Guwahati – from 100/1, you skip to 130/7 – this team is not that bad either. The team is not that bad; they have enough talent. Therefore, this is where the responsibility must also be taken by the players. You have played spin since childhood,” Shastri said in a teaser podcast released by Prabhat Khabar.

“I’m not protecting [him]. 100 per cent (he is responsible too). When am I saying anything otherwise? Agar yeh mere saath hota, main pehla responsibility leta (Had this happened to me, I would have been the first one to take responsibility. But then, I wouldn’t have spared the players either in the team meeting),” he added.

Between 2012 and 2024, a period in which India asserted near-total dominance at home, Shastri emerged as the country’s most successful Test coach. During his tenure from 2017 to 2021, India achieved a 65% success rate across formats. Under his leadership, alongside Virat Kohli, the Test side became a competitive unit, recording India’s historic first two Test series wins in Australia. Their dominance also helped India stay No. 1 in the ICC Test rankings for 42 months (2016-2021) and reach the inaugural World Test Championship final in 2021.

India’s next red-ball assignment will be a two-match Test series in Sri Lanka in August 2026. They currently sit fifth on the WTC 2025-27 points table, with four wins from nine matches.

Get every cricket updates! Follow Us: