New Delhi: Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir will be hoping to help India spark a turnaround as the Men in Blue return to white-ball action after suffering a debacle in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 against Australia. The pressure is on head coach Gambhir after India suffered back-to-back Test series defeats against New Zealand and England.
The off-field controversies surrounding dressing room leaks and multiple other issues have not helped Gambhir’s cause. However, with the all-important Champions Trophy 2025 scheduled to get underway next month, Gambhir will be hoping to use the white-ball series against England as an opportunity to test his players and get them in the groove for the multi-nation tournament.
India will play five T20Is against England followed by a three-match ODI series which will be dress rehearsal for the Men in Blue ahead of the Champions Trophy. Several players who are part of India’s Champions Trophy squad, including the likes of Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Axar Patel and Hardik Pandya among others will be in action in the T20I series against England.
Horrors of the past for Gautam Gambhir
Not many would know but Gambhir’s huge mistake against England in his penultimate T20I series for India ended his career in the shortest format for the country. Gambhir was the hero of India’s maiden T20 World Cup triumph in 2007 and remained a vital cog in the shortest format for the years to come before eventually falling behind in the pecking order.
It was in the England series at home in 2012 where Gambhir’s fate was sealed in T20Is. The left-hand opener got a chance to bat in two of four T20I matches against England in the series but failed to perform up to expectations which sparked his downfall in the shortest format.
In the 2nd T20I against England, Gambhir opened the batting with Ajinkya Rahane and failed to get the hoss off to a good start as he was dismissed cheaply on just 16 off 16 balls. While he was dismissed cheaply, Gambhir’s slow batting was also a concern for India. In the 3rd T20I at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, Gambhir flopped again as he scored only 17 runs.
His 17 came off 27 balls, once again highlighting his struggles to accelerate at the top. His slow innings cost India the match as the hosts suffered a 6-wicket defeat despite posting a strong total of 177 runs. Gambhir’s T20I career lasted only 52 more balls after that fateful match at the Wankhede Stadium.
Gambhir’s T20I career lasted 52 more balls after flop show against England
Gambhir’s flop show in the home T20I series against England proved costly as it effectively all but ended his T20I career for India. Gambhir played only two more matches for India in T20Is after the series against England. In his last two T20Is against Pakistan, Gambhir scored 43 and 21 respectively in the home series.
The left-hand opener scored 64 runs in 52 balls in the two innings combined and was eventually dropped from the T20I team. Shikhar Dhawan’s emergence ensured Gambhir never managed to make a comeback in T20Is as the game against Pakistan in Ahmedabad turned out to be his last for India in the shortest format.
Gambhir finished his T20I career with 932 runs in 37 matches at an average of 27.41 and a strike rate of 119.02 with the help of seven fifties.
As Team India gear up to take on Jos Buttler-led England in a five-match T20I series starting Wednesday, here is a look back at the time when Gambhir’s huge mistake against England saw him lose his spot for India in T20Is. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
