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Cricket: Pressure mounting on Gautam Gambhir as series defeat looms?

by Devesh Jaganath

image Cricket: Pressure mounting on Gautam Gambhir as series defeat looms?
India’s recent struggles in the longest format of the game look set to continue, with the team set to enter the final day of the fifth Test against England just 35 runs away from defeat and already 2-1 down in the series. Another series loss would be a third in a row for the team, and many feel it could mount pressure on head coach Gautam Gambhir.

India staring down the barrel of third straight Test series loss 

Despite several excellent individual performances, Shubman Gill’s tenure as the new skipper of the India Test team is set to get off to a losing start, with his side 2-1 down in their ongoing series against England and on the verge of defeat heading into Day 5 of the final match. 

Gill himself has been one of the standout performers of this tour, but he failed to make an impact at the Oval this weekend. Needing just 35 runs, the Three Lions are firmly expected to confirm our cricket predictions by wrapping up the match and the series early on Monday morning. 

If England closes out the win in the first Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy on Monday, India will have lost their third Test series in a row following a 3-0 drubbing on home soil by New Zealand and a 3-1 defeat in the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia at the start of the year. 

The loss would also mean that the Men in Blue have lost nine of their last 12 Test matches under Gautam Gambhir, who has come under scrutiny since the unexpected resignations of veterans Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli ahead of this series. 

Over the past year, there have been reports that suggested that Gambhir has struggled to gain the confidence of some of the older players in the squad. With another series defeat on the horizon, former England skipper Michael Atherton believes the India head coach’s role could come under question. He said: 

"Well, they've lost two series in a row. They lost at home to New Zealand 3-0 and they lost the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 3-1. If they lose this series then yeah, he's under pressure as a coach. India, with all their resources, their population strength, they're not a team that people are patient with. They're expected to win every time they walk onto the park.”

While Gambhir has not been able to help the team find their best form in the red-ball format, he has brought them success in the limited-overs game, most recently leading India to their first ICC Champions Trophy title in 12 years. 

Rain in London delays inevitable outcome in fifth Test

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Heading into the final day of the fifth Test between England and India, the equation is simple: The hosts need 35 runs to win the match and take the series 3-1, while the visitors need to pick up four wickets to level the standings at 2-2 and avoid defeat. 

The umpires were forced to call stumps on Day 4 about an hour early due to bad light, which was followed by rain, with Jamie Smith and Jamie Overton at the crease. Joe Root and Harry Brook delivered a 195-run stand to put the Three Lions in a commanding position earlier in the day. 

England will be afforded the opportunity to utilise the roller tomorrow morning, and they will surely take full advantage of that in an attempt to flatten out the surface. India have to take an early wicket or two to reinject belief into their bowlers on Monday morning. 

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