'Picked a team not to lose': Former India cricketer questions Gautam Gambhir-Shubman Gill approach despite 2-2 draw in England

India captain Shubman Gill speaks with coach Gautam Gambhir during a net session. (Getty Images)

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NEW DELHI: Former India cricketer Dinesh Karthik has delivered a pointed critique of the team management under head coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Shubman Gill , saying the duo took an overly defensive approach during the recently concluded Test series in England, which ended in a 2-2 draw.While India’s young side showed commendable fight to bounce back after trailing 1-2, Karthik suggested the team’s composition reflected a fear of losing rather than a hunger to win.“You could almost argue they picked a team not to lose,” Karthik said on Cricbuzz. “He [Gambhir] is now getting his way, so he will be responsible for everything that happens in the Indian team. If it does well, credit to him. If it doesn’t do well, he should put his hands up and say, ‘we made a mistake’.”Karthik stopped short of blaming captain Shubman Gill, indicating that Gambhir appears to be the primary force behind team decisions.“He [Gambhir] has taken control of the team I feel. He is the driving force of this team with Shubman,” he remarked. “The one thing that I feel he can do is almost look at being serious about picking 20 wickets as much as he feels depth in batting is important.”He added that while Gambhir has a strong track record in white-ball formats, he is still finding his feet in the red-ball arena.“He’s a terrific white-ball coach and the results have been there for us to see. But, in Test cricket, he is also learning on the job.”Under Gambhir's tenure so far, India have suffered a 0-3 whitewash at home to New Zealand — the first in their Test history — and a 1-3 loss in the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia. They also failed to reach the World Test Championship final for the first time.Karthik also weighed in on Jasprit Bumrah ’s workload management and dismissed narratives suggesting India win more without him.“You have to look at it from Jasprit Bumrah’s point of view. I think, these kind of wins, the way the series has panned out, the way the young team has fought, it will actually help him in his career. I believe Jasprit Bumrah will be very proud of this young bowling attack,” he said.“The stat of India winning when he doesn’t play is not his mistake. He is so impactful that others pale in comparison. I hope he will have a longer career, knowing he can pick and choose matches. Two back injuries, one nasty ACL that he had — it’s not easy.”

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