‘It’s going to be tough for this Indian team’: Temba Bavuma on split coaching and pressure on Gambhir

South Africa captain Temba Bavuma believes the Indian men’s cricket team is going through a difficult phase in Test cricket and has urged patience with head coach Gautam Gambhir, saying transitions in red-ball cricket are never easy.

Bavuma, who led South Africa to a historic 2-0 Test series win in India late last year, their first red-ball series victory on Indian soil in 25 years, wrote that India’s struggles in Tests are part of a natural cycle. The defeat followed another shocking home loss for India earlier in 2024, when they were whitewashed 3-0 by New Zealand, putting pressure on Gambhir’s credentials as head coach.

According to Bavuma, the difference in India’s performance across formats is clear. Bavuma said that India continue to thrive with experienced leaders like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma at the centre in white-ball cricket. However, in Test cricket, where those two have already retired, India looked like a team in transition, the South African skipper said.

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“You saw how India performed in the ODI space with their two stalwarts, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, versus in the Test game, where those two weren’t available for selection. When it comes to the red-ball stuff, India are definitely a team in transition. If I think of the Proteas Test team in 2019 - which is already seven years ago - we went through the same type of process or phase when we lost some of our big guns. So there is nothing unique about where India find themselves in Test cricket,” Bavuma wrote in a column for ESPNcricinfo.

Bavuma backs Gambhir

Bavuma acknowledged that Gambhir is under pressure but believes his success in white-ball cricket could help him survive this challenging period. Since taking over, Gambhir has guided India to two white-ball titles and also managed to draw a difficult Test series in England under new captain Shubman Gill. Despite that, recent red-ball results have raised questions.

“India coach Gautam Gambhir has a lot of pressure on his shoulders, and I think he is going to have to take it as it comes. He is going to have to find a way to buy himself time in the red-ball game, and I’m of the view that the performances in white-ball cricket may assist him,” Bavuma said of Gambhir, adding that performances in limited-overs cricket may buy the coach valuable time.

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With the 2026 T20 World Cup set to be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, and played largely in Indian conditions, Bavuma feels Gambhir’s position is secure for the moment, at least in while-ball cricket. However, he admitted that it’s going to be tough for this Indian team in the near future.

“In limited-overs cricket, India have a lot of resources from which to select. The 2026 T20 World Cup is also in their favour, as it will be on home ground, co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka in February-March. In ODIs, Kohli and Rohit will naturally take on a lot more responsibility from a performance and leadership point of view. So I think Gambhir will be okay in terms of his position. However, from a red-ball point of view, it’s going to be tough for this Indian team in the near future,” he said.

The South African skipper also addressed the debate around splitting coaching roles between red-ball and white-ball formats. Some believe Gambhir should continue with limited-overs cricket while another coach should come in and handle Tests. Bavuma revealed that South Africa tried a similar approach in 2023 but eventually moved away from it.

“At the time there was sense behind the split rule. But now having one coach across all formats works a lot better for players from a continuity point of view. Moreover, it’s advantageous from a philosophy and playing style point of view. I don’t think a lot of teams are going with the split-format system anymore, and to be honest, I’m not really in favour of that rule. If anything, it just confuses the players, because in one format a certain type of language is spoken and then in another format, a couple of weeks later, you need to adjust,” he explained.