India’s head coach, Gautam Gambhir, fiercely criticized Delhi Capitals co-owner Parth Jindal for publicly demanding a split coaching policy for the Indian national cricket team following their recent Test series defeat to South Africa.
Without naming Jindal directly, Gambhir used a post-match press conference in Visakhapatnam—after India clinched the ODI series—to deliver a stern message, effectively ordering the IPL owner to “stay in his domain.”
The Demand for Split Coaching
The controversy stems from comments made by Parth Jindal on X (formerly Twitter) after India suffered a comprehensive 408-run loss to South Africa at home. Jindal was highly critical of the team’s performance, arguing that the results were a reflection of poor planning.
Jindal wrote:
“Not even close, what a complete thrashing at home! Don’t remember seeing our test side being so weak at home!!! This is what happens when red ball specialists are not picked… This team is nowhere near reflective of the deep strength we possess in the red ball format. Time for India to move to a specialist red-ball coach for Test cricket.”
Gambhir’s Strong Rebuke
Gambhir, clearly angered by the unsolicited advice from an IPL franchise owner, insisted that public figures should refrain from interfering in the national team’s operational strategy.
“God knows what all things were said (when we lost the Test series to South Africa and half of them were not even related to cricket… Ek IPL ke owner ne bhi likkha split coaching k bare mein (An IPL team owner also wrote about split coaching.) So this is surprising. It’s very important for people to stay in their domain. Because if we don’t go into someone’s domain, then they also don’t have the right to come into our domain,” Gambhir stated.
Focus on Gill’s Injury
Gambhir also used the opportunity to address the media’s focus following the Test loss. He lamented that much of the discussion centered on the Eden Gardens surface, which produced a two-and-a-half-day finish where India was bowled out for 93 chasing 124.
He pointed out that the critical factor of Captain Shubman Gill’s freak neck injury—which ruled him out of both innings of the first Test and the subsequent ODIs—was largely ignored by critics.
“But the most surprising thing is that not once did any media or journalist write that our first Test match (in Kolkata) was played without the captain (Shubman Gill), who didn’t bat in both innings (because of a neck injury),” Gambhir said.
The head coach emphasized that while he avoids making excuses, the facts should be presented accurately. He concluded that losing a captain who is also the main red-ball batter while going through a transition phase against a strong opponent like South Africa is a significant factor that was unfairly overlooked.