Hat-tricks aren’t always great. Well, for bowlers, they are. But the opposition doesn’t enjoy it. India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir was on the bad end of one of these hat-tricks. However, it wasn’t a bowler who did the damage but an entire team.
Gautam Gambhir’s hat-trick
If you haven’t guessed it already, I’m talking about India getting whitewashed at home, 0-3, by New Zealand last year. It was the first time in India’s 91-year history. From 1933, when India played their first-ever home Test, India had never been whitewashed in a home Test series of 3 or more matches.
Prior to the whitewash, India hadn’t lost a Test series at home in 12 years. In fact, India had lost just 4 matches at home during this period. And then came one of the worst moments in India’s Test history. Gambhir hasn’t forgotten it. During the West Indies home series, he recalled what the moment felt like.
“I don’t think I can ever forget that series, and I shouldn’t. I remind the boys of it as well. It’s crucial to remember the past sometimes, so you never take anything for granted. Everyone thought we could easily beat New Zealand, but that’s the reality of the sport. For me, it’s important that the dressing room never forgets what happened against New Zealand. That experience drives us to never give an inch to the opposition,” Gambhir had said earlier this month.
Not another whitewash
While no hat-trick will ever cause Gambhir that hurt, he might have another hat-trick of losses. Earlier in the year, in Sydney, India had failed to hold the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the first time in 10 years. That in itself sounds good, as India had won the last two BGTs in Australia, 2018-19 and 2020-21.
That was Gambhir’s first Test series in Australia, and he lost. Just three days ago, he also lost his first ODI series in Australia. He’s 0-2 again and won’t like an all-format sweep at the hands of Australia in the space of 11 months. That’s why a lot is riding on the India vs Australia T20I series.
While these 5 matches won’t define Gambhir as India’s head coach, another 0-3 doesn’t look good on his resume. In the long run, it also gives Australia the confidence that, despite India being considered the best all-format team in the world, they hold wood over them. Of course, this has already been proven twice, at the ODI World Cup 2023 and the WTC Final 2023.
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