Former Indian fast bowler Munag Patel has put his weight behind head coach Gautam Gambhir amid the team’s struggles in Test cricket. Patel highlighted that Team India doesn’t have a lot of experienced players and the team is in transition after Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s retirement.
Meanwhile, India has lost five out of their last seven Test matches in the home conditions. India suffered a 0-2 series loss against South Africa in 2025 and they were stunned 0-3 by New Zealand in 2024 despite playing at home.
Under Gambhir’s tutelage, India has won seven Tests, lost 10, and have drawn two.
Munaf Patel said on Breaking Sports with Vivek Sethia, “You are building a new team, right? When you build a new house, many things change. You are talking about Gautam Gambhir, right? His thinking is very different. His cricketing mindset is very different. Whenever he has played cricket, he has performed well. Even when he captained, he led the team to trophies.”
“Now, when you are building a new team, think about it: in the 20-year or 25-year era, how many players with 100 matches’ experience do you have? Today, your total team hasn’t even played 100 matches collectively. You are running a team where the players combined haven’t played 100 games. And you are taking this team to play in Australia and in England. They have performed in England; yes, they have done well,” he added.
On the other hand, Patel questioned the Indian batters for their ability to play spin at home. The 2011 World Cup winning player blamed the BCCI for shutting down spin-friendly pitches in the domestic circuit.
“Another thing is what you are saying about losing at home. It’s because our new batters don’t know how to play spin. Part of the fault lies with the BCCI because in domestic cricket, they have closed the turning tracks. They have introduced rules that the grass on the wicket should be 6 mm. Now, with only 6 mm grass, the wickets don’t turn.”
Patel said people blame Gambhir for everything, which is not fair on the former Indian opener.
“People sit and say the mistake is Gautam’s. But Gautam is not even out there playing. The players who are going out are not prepared because in domestic cricket, the wickets that would have prepared them for international conditions in India have been closed. You lost to South Africa, you lost to New Zealand. Firstly, it is a new team. You are playing new batters, you are giving new players. You are also changing the domestic system. And yet, everything is being blamed on Gautam Gambhir. That is not possible. That is not fair. I can say it clearly: it is not fair.”
India’s next big assignment is the T20 World Cup 2026.
