Captain Shubman Gill, who missed the second Test because of a neck injury, said the team would “rise stronger” after India lost the series 0-2 to South Africa.
The two-match series was a tough one for India. South Africa won both games and completed a clean sweep. They beat India by 408 runs in the second Test in Guwahati, earning their first Test series win in India in 25 years.
They had also beaten India by 30 runs in the first Test in Kolkata. The defeats led to a lot of criticism of the team’s performance and leadership. Many fans even booed coach Gautam Gambhir.
“Calm seas don’t teach you how to steer, it’s the storm that forges steady hands. We’ll continue to believe in each other, fight for each other, and move forward – rising stronger,” Gill wrote in ‘X’ on Wednesday.
Calm seas don’t teach you how to steer, it’s the storm that forges steady hands. We’ll continue to believe in each other, fight for each other, and move forward – rising stronger.
— Shubman Gill (@ShubmanGill) November 26, 2025
Gill retired hurt on four runs after getting a neck spasm during India’s first innings in the Eden Test. He was later taken to the hospital and ruled out for the rest of the match. Gill did travel to Guwahati for the next Test but was released from the squad the day before the match.
Coach Gautam Gambhir did not blame any single player for India’s huge 408-run loss to South Africa in the second Test, but he strongly hinted that he was very unhappy with stand-in captain Rishabh Pant for “showing off” instead of playing sensibly.
In his post-match press conference, Gambhir was fiery as usual, but this time he also contradicted himself several times during the 15-minute interaction.
India were 95 for one at one point, but things quickly fell apart. They collapsed to 122 for seven, mostly because of Marco Jansen’s excellent bowling. Pant tried to attack Jansen when he should have been more careful, and that shot was probably the worst dismissal of the innings.
After the 0-2 series loss, Gambhir was asked whether he expected better from Pant, who is now just one match away from playing 50 Tests.
“You don’t blame one individual shot. You don’t blame one individual playing in a certain way. You blame everyone. So, me talking about an individual, I’ve never done that. I am not going to do it,” Gambhir said bluntly when he faced the media.
(With PTI inputs)