Batting coach Kotak springs to Gambhir’s defence after India’s loss to South Africa

India head coach Gautam Gambhir has been under intense scrutiny following his side’s 30-run defeat against South Africa in the opening Test in Kolkata.

This was India’s fourth defeat in home Tests under Gambhir, following the 3-0 whitewash meted out by New Zealand last year.

Ahead of the second Test in Guwahati, Indian batting coach Sitanshu Kotak sprang to Gambhir’s defence, suggesting that there could be some ‘agendas’ at play.

“One thing I have felt is that people are just saying Gautam Gambhir, Gautam Gambhir, Gautam Gambhir. No one is saying that this batsman did this, this bowler did that, or I could do something different as a batting coach,” said Kotak during a media interaction at the Barsapara Stadium on Thursday.

“From the last 30-35 matches India has played, we have lost just two games or so. No one is giving credit for all the games we won. Based on the two matches that we have lost, everyone’s doing ‘Gautam Gambhir, Gautam Gambhir’.

“I am saying this because I am a [member of coaching] staff and I feel bad. That’s not the way [it should be]. Maybe some individuals have some agendas. Good luck to them, but it is very bad,” added Kotak.

In focus, along with Gambhir, was the nature of the pitch at the Eden Gardens, which exhibited variable bounce right from Day 1.

Gambhir had clarified in the post-match press conference that it was indeed the pitch that India wanted, and the game was lost purely due to his side’s inabilities.

“At the press conference after the last match, Gautam took all the blame on himself. He did that because he felt that the blame should not fall on the curator,” said Kotak.

Kotak also offered his logic behind why the Eden surface behaved the way it did, while emphasising that it was something beyond the design of the team and the curator.

“Now, what happened in the last match, after the first day, it felt like it was crumbling. The soil was coming off a bit. All of you can see that. That was not expected. Even if spin was expected, it was after three days or on the third day evening. Even the curators did not want it. I am telling you the truth. No one wanted it to be like this.

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“Now, from the second day itself, the wicket became too dry. Or the top layer of the wicket, which I read, became too dry. And the layer underneath was very hard because there was a lot of rolling. Probably because of that, this happened, is what I guess,” said Kotak.

The Indian batting coach also justified India’s pitch preferences, labelling them as just an extension of home advantage.

“When we go abroad, be it England or Australia, any country will play to its strengths. In India, we rely on spin. We just need a little spin because spin is our strength

“Otherwise, genuinely, you can ask any curator, we have never asked for a [pitch where] the match is over in two days or a square turner,” added Kotak.

Published on Nov 20, 2025