India coach Gautam Gambhir hasn't had a smooth start to his coaching stint. Gambhir suffered a 2-0 defeat to Sri Lanka in his first ODI series as coach, and it was followed by a 0-3 defeat to New Zealand. The only major success Gambhir achieved in his short stint was the Test series win against Bangladesh. After the whitewash against New Zealand, Gambhir was brutally criticised by fans on social media, however, the India coach is not bothered about the criticism.
Gambhir gave a befitting reply to his critics and said social media criticism does not make any difference to his life, adding that coaching the Indian team has been an absolute honour.
"What difference does social media make? I am not in the heat; there are tough players in dressing room. Absolute honour to be coaching them," said Gambhir in the press conference.
Also Read: Gambhir Plays Down Concerns Over Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma’s Form Ahead Of BGT: ‘They’re Incredibly Tough’
India have enjoyed great success in Australia in the last few years. They defeated the hosts 2-1 on the 2018-19 tour and backed the performance with another stunning win on the following visit in 2020-21. In fact, India have won all the last four series against Australia, including two home series wins in 2016-17 and 2022-23. The upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy, however, will be the toughest test for the team in many years.
WTC Berth At Stake
The series stands of utmost importance for India in terms of the World Test Championship (WTC) final. The 0-3 defeat to New Zealand handed India a massive blow to their WTC final qualification chances. India slipped to second on the WTC table and now face a massive task of beating Australia in the Test series. India can qualify for the final without depending on other results if they can beat Australia 4-0, but this looks an unrealistic task given the team’s recent form. If India beat Australia, 3-0, 3-1, 4-1, they can qualify for the WTC final if England draw at least one Test against New Zealand. England will have to beat New Zealand in at least one of their Tests if India have to qualify for the final in case of a 2-0 win over Australia. If India win the series 3-2, they will need England and Sri Lanka to win one Test against New Zealand and Australia respectively.