“We Lose Together and Win Together” – Gautam Gambhir Defends Shubman Gill After India’s Headingley Defeat
After India’s gut-wrenching five-wicket loss to England in the first Test of the five-match series at Headingley, head coach Gautam Gambhir strongly backed the team, especially skipper Shubman Gill. England successfully chased down a mammoth 371, making India the first team in Test history to lose despite scoring five individual hundreds in a match—a bizarre and unwanted record.
Despite major talking points around dropped catches (seven in total, including four by Yashasvi Jaiswal), underwhelming lower-order contributions, and questionable decisions from debutant captain Gill, Gambhir refused to play the blame game.
“Catches get dropped. The best fielders drop catches. The lower-order batting was a bit disappointing. If we had scored 600 in the first innings, we could have dominated. But that is not the only reason we lost,” Gambhir said at the post-match press conference.
“Everyone wants to contribute, and I won’t single out anyone. We lose together and win together.”
Gambhir On Shubman Gill’s Leadership
Shubman Gill’s Test captaincy debut has been a topic of much debate, especially with regard to his field placements and bowling rotations. Yet Gambhir urged fans and critics to allow the youngster time to learn and evolve.
“These are tough places to captain. It’s like pushing someone into the deep sea. I’m sure he’s going to come out as a proper professional. Obviously, there are nerves. But it’s a great honour to lead India, and he was phenomenal.”
“Young Team Is No Excuse” – Gambhir
Despite India fielding a relatively inexperienced squad, Gambhir was clear that youth should not be used as an excuse for the defeat.
“Every defeat is bad. It’s not about the young team, it’s about the experience. We take pride in playing for 140 crore proud Indians. And we’ll give our absolute best with no excuses.”
Jasprit Bumrah Workload Carefully Managed
One of India’s bright spots was Jasprit Bumrah, but Gambhir confirmed that the ace pacer would play only three of the five Tests, as per a pre-decided workload management plan.
“It was already decided before the tour that Bumrah would play three Tests. We haven’t decided which other two games he’ll feature in. It’s about managing his workload; we know what he brings to the table.”
On Inexperienced Bowling Attack
India’s bowling depth, aside from Bumrah and Siraj, showed its inexperience in Leeds. Gambhir called for patience, reminding everyone of the long-term plan.
“Outside of Bumrah and Siraj, the others have little to no experience. One bowler has five Tests, another has four, one has two, and one hasn’t debuted yet. Test cricket in places like England and Australia demands experience.”
“If we judge them after every game, we can’t build a long-term fast-bowling unit. They have the quality, and that’s why they’re in the dressing room. But we have to keep backing them.”
What’s Next?
Team India now have a break to recover and reset ahead of the second Test in Birmingham, starting July 2. With the series finely poised and many lessons from the Leeds loss, all eyes will be on how Gill and Gambhir rally this young team back into contention.
