South Africa registered a 2-0 Test series victory against India at Guwahati on Wednesday. After the New Zealand disaster last year, it has occurred twice when Gautam Gambhir has been head coach. A few concerns over Gambhir's position as head coach have been raised by Wednesday's outcome. Gambhir's coaching methods and manner have drawn harsh criticism from a number of former players and commentators. Former South African cricketer Ab de Villiers too shared his thoughts on the matter.
“Speaking on behalf of the Indian side, it’s really difficult. I don’t know what GG is like when it comes to leadership. I’ve known him as an emotional player and if that is the case in the change room, generally an emotional coach is not a good thing to have. But it’s not to say he’s that kind of a coach and the kind of leader behind the scenes. There’s no right and wrong. Some players will feel comfortable with a former player. Some players will be comfortable with a coach that’s never played the game before but he’s got a lot of years of experience of coaching the game,” De Villiers said on R Ashwin’s YouTube channel.
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“It’s a tough question because I’ve never played under Shukri and I’ve never been in the Indian dressing room with GG, Morne Morkel and Ryan ten Doeschate. It looks great on paper but I don’t know what the dynamic is like behind the scenes. What I can say is it is different for every player,” De Villiers added.
“I absolutely loved playing under Gary Kirsten; he’s a former player and similar to Gautam Gambhir. Some players might find confidence and feel comfortable with a former player being there, a great of the game and find some extra inspiration to put extra yards for the team and for the coach,” he said.
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This was only the third time that India lost a home series in consecutive years. This was also the first time that India lost 5 Tests in a two-season stretch. Not just that, this was also the first time in 66 years that India lost 5 of their last 7 Test matches.
South Africa defeated the hosts in their own game of spin on a batting-friendly track after India lost the first Test in Kolkata inside three days on a pitch with variable bounce. More than 40 years have passed since India last lost two Test series at home in a row, against the West Indies in 1983 and England in 1984–85.
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