IND vs SA 2nd Test: Gautam Gambhir faces severe criticism post-series loss against South Africa

Gautam Gambhir (Pic: AFP)

In the second Test match against South Africa, Team India suffered a humiliating loss at the Assam Cricket Association Stadium in Guwahati.

Spinner Simon Harmer's bowling heroics helped his side to secure a win by 408 runs against India. With this, the Proteas have scripted history by registering their first-ever series win in Indian in 25 years.

Following the loss, Team India's current head coach Gautam Gambhir has been facing severe criticism on social media platforms. Several groups of fans have started calling to sack Gambhir from the head coach's position.

Team India's star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja was the highest run-scorer in the second innings. Facing 87 balls, the left-hander scored 54 runs, including four boundaries and two maximums.

Washington Sundar returned to the pavilion after scoring 16 runs in 44 balls, with the help of two boundaries. Nitish Kumar Reddy departed on a three-ball duck.

Mohammed Siraj was also shown the path to the pavilion, as he registered a four-ball duck. Jasprit Bumrah stayed unbeaten on one run in two balls.

Along with Harmer, Keshav Maharaj also chipped in with two wickets. He bowled 12.5 overs and conceded 35 runs. Marco Jansen and Senuran Muthusamy registered one wicket each to their names. Bowling 15 overs, Jansen was smashed for 23 runs, and Muthusamy leaked 21 runs in seven overs.

Wiaan Mulder bowled four overs and gave away six runs, and Aiden Markram conceded two runs in two overs.

This was the second time in a space of mere 13 months that India ended up whitewashed at home, severely denting their chances of qualifying for the World Test Championship.

Under head coach Gambhir, India have now lost five Tests against New Zealand and South Africa at home. It is also the first time in 66 years that the team has lost 5 Tests in a space of seven months.

With the conclusion of the longest format series, Team India and South Africa will now engage in the white-ball series, starting from November 30th. It will include three One-Day International (ODI) matches and five T20 International (T20I) games.