IND vs SA 2025: ‘Stay in your domain’ – Tension erupts as Gautam Gambhir blasts DC co-owner Parth Jindal, says Gill’s injury caused India’s Test defeat

India’s 0-2 defeat to South Africa on home soil has sparked strong reactions, with head coach Gautam Gambhir having now withdrawn. This was India’s first home Test series loss in 25 years, but Gambhir said the criticism had not taken into account the full picture.

He pointed out that India lost their Test captain Shubman Gill early in the series. Gill injured his neck in the first Test, missed the second innings there and then sat out the entire second Test.

Gambhir said Gill’s absence changed the balance of the team. He reminded reporters that Gill had scored more than 1000 runs in seven matches and was India’s most in-form batsman during a transition phase.

He said: “We played without our captain. He didn’t play both innings. That was the only difference, which doesn’t mean you don’t put forward the facts. When you’re in transition, you lose your captain, our in-form batsman, who scored more than 1,000 runs in seven games. Against a team like that, it’s a blow.”

The coach also hit out at critics who questioned India’s coaching structure after the series loss. Without directly naming him, Gambhir was responding to Delhi Capitals co-owner Parth Jindal who had suggested India should move to split coaching.

Gambhir said some people “left their domain”, adding: “A lot of people have said a lot of things, some left their domain, like an IPL owner who suggested split coaching.”

Jindal had earlier called the defeat a “complete thrashing” and said India looked weak at home. He also criticized the team selection for not picking red-ball specialists and pushed for a separate Test coach. In his post on X, he wrote that the team did not reflect India’s red-ball depth.

“Not even close, what a complete drubbing at home! I can’t remember seeing our Test side this weak at home! This is what happens when red ball specialists are not picked. This team is nowhere near reflecting the depth of strength we possess in the red ball format. Time for India to move to a specialist red ball coach for Test cricket,” Jindal wrote at X.

India recovered soon after the Tests. They won the ODI series 2-1 and ended with a strong nine-wicket win in Visakhapatnam. The team now shifts focus to the five-match T20I series against South Africa, starting on December 9 in Cuttack.

Gambhir emphasized that the Test defeat was not a sign of a broken system. He said losing an in-form captain during a transition period can hurt any team and India will look ahead with clarity rather than outside noise.