Gambhir Tells ‘IPL Team Owner’ To Stay In His Domain After India’s ODI Series Win

Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir launched a strong defence of his coaching set-up after India defeated South Africa 2–1 in the ODI series. They capped the series with an emphatic nine-wicket victory in the final match at Visakhapatnam on Saturday.

The win came at a crucial moment for Gambhir. He had been facing scrutiny following India’s Test series defeat earlier in the tour.

Gambhir’s sharpest remarks were seemingly aimed at Parth Jindal, the Delhi Capitals co-owner. Jindal had recently called for India to adopt a split-coaching system.

Speaking at the post-match press conference, Gambhir said that individuals from outside cricket had no business commenting on team matters. He added that they should not speak on issues they did not understand.

Gambhir stated, “I am surprised that no one was talking about this (Gill’s unavailability to bat) and all the discussions were around the pitch and many other things. There were people who had nothing to do with cricket also giving their opinions. An IPL team owner also wrote about a split coaching staff who had nothing to do with the game. People should stay in their domain. If I do not enter anybody’s domain, they also have no right to enter my domain.”

Gambhir reiterated that Shubman Gill’s neck injury during the Test series had been a decisive factor in India’s inability to compete effectively. He argued that the absence of the captain had been overlooked in public discussions, which instead focused on pitch conditions and selection choices.

Shubman Gill Fit for T20Is

Providing a key update, Gambhir confirmed that Gill is fully fit. He also stated that the star batsman is available for the upcoming T20I series.

“Shubman is ready to go—that’s why he’s been selected. He’s fit, hungry to work, and improve. And look, there are quality players on this side. As I’ve said many times, they are world-class players,” he asserted.

The controversy was sparked by Parth Jindal’s public criticism of India’s Test performance.

Jindal had posted that India was ‘not even close’ to being competitive in the series and called for a specialist red-ball coach. His remarks drew significant attention and evidently irritated Gambhir, who viewed them as unnecessary interference.

With the ODI series concluded, India will now prepare for the five-match T20I series against South Africa.

The matches are scheduled for December 9 (Cuttack), December 11 (New Chandigarh), December 14 (Dharamsala), December 17 (Lucknow), and December 19 (Ahmedabad).

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