"If he loses, I think times are up" - Former cricketer's massive claim on Gautam Gambhir's future after ENG vs IND 2025 Tests

England & India Net Sessions - Source: Getty
The positive result in the series against England comes at the right time for Gautam Gambhir (Image Credit: Getty)

Former England spinner Monty Panesar feels that it is essential for Gautam Gambhir to avoid another home series defeat to continue his reign as Team India's coach. The former batter was under pressure after India's shocking 0-3 whitewash against New Zealand at home in late 2024, but has managed to earn a bit of rope after a fighting 2-2 draw against England in the recent away series.

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Gautam Gambhir's reign as Test coach began with a 2-0 win over Bangladesh at home, which was followed by the nightmarish three-match affair against the Blackcaps. The whitewash ended Team India's 12-year streak of not losing a series at home.

Following that, the Men in Blue were outplayed in Australia during the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar series, losing the series 1-3, and an elimination from the 2025 World Test Championship Final race.

Panesar noted how Gambhir has to ensure that India remains a major threat in the subcontinent, and continue to steamroll the visiting opponents.

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"I think Gautam Gambhir has a bit of time. The home series, when they play, is going to be massive. He cannot afford to lose another home series. If he wins, he will keep his job, but if he loses, I think times are up for Gautam Gambhir. India cannot afford to lose another series at home," Panesar said of Gambhir in an interview with the Hindustan Times.
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Team India will face West Indies and South Africa in red-ball contests as part of the World Test Championship (WTC) cycle during their home season in the coming months.

Panesar also noted that India could do without Jasprit Bumrah's services in the home Tests, given the spin-friendly conditions, so that his workload can be managed for the crucial overseas assignments.

"I think it's good if he (Bumrah) does play the overseas Test matches, and probably you don't need him for home Test matches. India can beat any team at home probably without him, but for overseas Tests, he is the X-factor. They can probably tell him that we no longer need you for home Tests. But for the away Tests, we definitely do,' he added.
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Jasprit Bumrah's workload management has been a topic of discussion in recent times. He played in three matches during the five-match Test series against England, and particularly struggled with his body during the fourth match at Old Trafford.

"I think he'll end up scoring 18,000 Test runs" - Monty Panesar predicts Joe Root to overtake Sachin Tendulkar comfortably to become leading run scorer in Tests

Yet another dominant series for England ace batter Joe Root meant that he continued to climb up the leaderboard. He overtook some massive names like Jacques Kallis, Rahul Dravid, and Ricky Ponting to be the second-highest run-scorers in Tests. He is now placed only behind Sachin Tendulkar, with the margin being only 2378 runs.

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"He'll break it. He'll break it, and he'll go past it. I think he'll end up scoring 18,000 Test runs. Because he's only 34, right? He's 34, he's got another 6 years. In 6 years, he'll probably score another 4,000-5,000 Test runs. So, Tendulkar played until 40, so he'll probably end up playing until 40. He'll break that, and he'll go past it. I think he'll end up scoring 18,000 test runs," Panesar said.

Sachin Tendulkar ended his Test career with 15,921 runs after 200 appearances at an average of 53.78. Root, on the other hand, is placed at 13,543 after 158 matches at an average of 51.29.

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Edited by Gokul Nair
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