Iceland Cricket Mocks Gautam Gambhir While India Faces Test Series Collapse

India's head coach Gautam Gambhir is under intense fire as the team teeters on the brink of a humiliating 0-2 home Test series defeat to South Africa at Barsapara Cricket Stadium, with social media ablaze and even Iceland's cricket fraternity joining the ridicule. The former opener, who took over in July 2025 across all formats, has presided over a shocking erosion of India's home invincibility, including a whitewash by New Zealand last year and now a potential first series loss to the Proteas in 25 years. Amid calls for his sacking trending nationwide, Iceland Cricket, the official X handle renowned for its satirical jabs at the sport, posted a viral quip on Monday: "To all our fans, no, Gautam Gambhir will not be invited to be our new national team coach. That position is already filled, and we won 75% of our matches in 2025." The post, amassing over 5,000 likes in hours, highlighted Gambhir's dismal record against Iceland's improbably successful 2025 campaign.

Gambhir's tactical decisions have drawn particular scorn, including the baffling demotion of all-rounder Washington Sundar from No. 3 in the Kolkata opener to No. 8 here, a shuffle critics liken more to T20 improvisation than Test cricket's demand for stability. On Day 3, India crumbled to 201 all out—trailing South Africa's 489 by 288 runs—despite Sundar's gritty 48 and Kuldeep Yadav's 19 in an eighth-wicket stand of 72. Marco Jansen's 6-48 tore through the middle order, leaving opener Yashasvi Jaiswal (58) as the lone half-centurion. South Africa, declining the follow-on, ended at 26-0, forging a 314-run lead with Aiden Markram (12*) and Ryan Rickelton (13*) unbeaten, positioning them for a series-clinching triumph.

The BCCI has offered no comment on Gambhir's future, but whispers of format-specific coaching—perhaps retaining him for white-ball cricket while seeking a Test specialist—grow louder. Experts like Ravi Shastri have lambasted the "confused" selections, including deploying four spinners in Kolkata only to bowl one for a single over. Gambhir's aggressive, no-nonsense style, lauded in T20 successes, appears mismatched for the red-ball game's nuances, especially as India eyes the 2026-27 Australia tour. With four losses in six home tests under him, the pressure could force a mid-cycle overhaul.

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Iceland Cricket's barb, while humorous, underscores the global schadenfreude over India's woes, contrasting their 75% win rate—likely in limited-overs Associate matches—with Gambhir's 33% Test success rate so far. As '#SackGautamGambhir' surges, the coach's job security hinges on salvaging pride in Guwahati, though a draw feels improbable on a wearing pitch. For a man who once anchored India's 2011 World Cup triumph, this slump risks defining his coaching legacy before it truly begins.

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