Gautam Gambhir, head coach of Team India, has shared his thoughts on the surprising whitewash at home vs New Zealand in late 2024. The side led by Rohit Sharma ended up on the wrong side of a 0-3 score line, marking India's first home series loss since 2012. The three-match series against the Blackcaps was Gambhir's second task as red-ball coach, having been brought in after Rahul Dravid. India came into the series with optimism, having just defeated Bangladesh at home 2-0 and without New Zealand's best player, Kane Williamson.


From the onset, it did not end well for India, as the Men in Blue were bowled out for 46 in the first innings of the first Test in Bengaluru. Although India made a good go of the second innings, it ended 0-1. If expectations of a comeback were that of the second Test in Pune, one would be disappointed as India fell apart again and confirmed the series defeat. The whitewash was confirmed after a close loss in Mumbai at the Wankhede, with India's hopes for the World Test Championship (WTC) hanging in the balance. Gambhir mentioned that the series is still fresh in his mind and remains a lesson he uses to teach about not letting things slide.

Gautam Gambhir reflected on learning from setbacks

"If I am being honest, I don’t think I can ever forget that, nor should I. I’ve told the boys it’s important to look forward, but remembering the past is equally crucial. Everyone expected us to roll over New Zealand, but in that dressing room, we need to keep reminding ourselves what happened," Gambhir told Jio Hotstar during the second Test against the West Indies in Delhi. India later failed to reach the WTC finals, following a 1-3 defeat in the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar series in Australia.

Despite the tough start in red-ball cricket, Gambhir’s tenure has seen India flourish in white-ball formats. After ending a decade-long silverware drought with the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup, he guided India to the 2025 Champions Trophy, a historic achievement as no team has ever won three ICC tournaments consecutively. The momentum continued with an unbeaten run in the 2025 Asia Cup in the UAE. “The pressure is on me every day, after defeats or after victories. Ultimately, we represent 140 crore Indians,” Gambhir added, highlighting the responsibility that comes with coaching the national side.