Gautam Gambhir vs Rahul Dravid first Test series with debut captain
During Rahul Dravid's tenure as head coach, India won the T20 World Cup after 17 years. Meanwhile, Gautam Gambhir has already guided India to the Champions Trophy title for the first time in 12 years.
3 Min Read
During Rahul Dravid's tenure as head coach, India won the T20 World Cup after a 17-year wait. On the other hand, his successor Gautam Gambhir has already guided India to the Champions Trophy title for the first time in 12 years.
Rahul Dravid took over as India's head coach in November 2021, replacing Ravi Shastri after the T20 World Cup. During his reign, the Men in Blue reached the finals of the World Test Championship in 2023, where they were defeated by Australia. India also made it to the finals of the ODI World Cup later in the year and finished runners-up.
Rohit Sharma debuted as a Test skipper during Dravid's tenure. The Mumbai batter was appointed skipper of the Indian team in red-ball cricket in February 2022, replacing Virat Kohli from the prestigious position. Rohit's first assignment as full-time Test captain was a two-match series against Sri Lanka at home.
The first Test was played at the Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali, India. Ravindra Jadeja scored an unbeaten 175 off 228 balls to help India declare at 574/8 in the first innings. Sri Lanka were bowled out for 174 and 178 to lose the match by an innings and 222 runs.
The second Test was hosted by the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, which was a Pink Ball fixture as well. The hosts had won the match by 238 runs as Shreyas Iyer starred with scores of 92 and 67 in the two innings, respectively. The Indian side won the series 2-0, with Rishabh Pant winning the Player of the Series award.
Gambhir's first Test series with debut captain
Gambhir took charge of the Indian team after the T20 World Cup in 2024. While the Asian giants achieved great success in the white-ball formats, the results in Tests were abysmal. They lost a Test series at home for the first time after 12 years. New Zealand handed them this defeat in 2024, winning 3-0 in a three-match series.
India also lost the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after 10 years. They were beaten 3-1 in the five-match series Down Under. Rohit Sharma retired from the longest format of the game in May and so did Virat Kohli. Shubman Gill replaced Rohit as the Test captain ahead of the England tour, where India had to play five Tests against the Three Lions. The challenge was tough, but Gill and Gambhir took it head-on.
Gambhir had a 25-year-old captain to work with and a fairly inexperienced side, with the likes of Rohit, Kohli, and Ashwin not being available due to their retirements. However, he guided his troops commendably as India drew 2-2. They won Test matches at Edgbaston, and The Oval. India won a Test match at Edgbaston for the first time. Their six-run win in the fifth Test at The Oval will be remembered by Indian cricket fans for a very long time.
Get every cricket updates! Follow Us:
Download Our App