Former England captain Michael Atherton has fired a warning at India head coach Gautam Gambhir, saying that losing three consecutive series would create big problems for him. India came to England having been whitewashed 0-3 at home against New Zealand, followed by a 1-3 loss in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25.
The Asian Giants now find themselves 1-2 behind in the ongoing series against England and desperately need to win the fifth Test to draw level. Commenting on Gambhir’s tenure as India’s head coach so far, Michael Atherton said that another series loss will put him under massive pressure.
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“Well, they’ve lost two series in a row. They lost at home to New Zealand 3-0 and they lost the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 3-1. If they lose this series then yeah, he’s under pressure as a coach,” said Atherton on Sky Sports.
Furthermore, he also mentioned how Indian fans want their team to win every game.
“India, with all their resources, their population strength, they’re not a team that people are patient with. They’re expected to win every time they walk onto the park. So, three Test series defeats in a row would be a problem for him,” Atherton added.
Meanwhile, India have made four changes to their playing XI for the last Test as they brought in Dhruv Jurel in place of injured Rishabh Pant. In the bowling department, Jasprit Bumrah has been rested and replaced by Prasidh Krishna, while Anshul Kamboj made way for Akash Deep, who regained fitness after missing the previous Test at Manchester.
Karun Nair has also been given another chance in place of Shardul Thakur. India captain Shubman Gill lost his fifth successive toss of the series as England opted to bowl first. India lost both of their openers, Yashasvi Jaiswal (2) and KL Rahul (14), early under overcast conditions. However, Gill and Sai Sudharsan stabilised the innings with their brief stand as India went into lunch on 72/2 in 23 overs.
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