You’ve got to be thick-skinned – Zaheer Khan reveals advice to under-fire Gautam Gambhir

Former Indian fast bowler Zaheer Khan has opined that chief coach Gautam Gambhir must take all the criticism to his chin as it is part of his job. Gambhir has come under heavy scrutiny after India suffered a 0-2 whitewash against South Africa. India suffered an ignominious loss of 408 runs at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati.

At home, India has lost five out of their last seven Test matches under Gambhir’s tutelage. Earlier in 2024, India suffered a 0-3 whitewash against New Zealand while playing at home.

Gambhir has been questioned for backing all-rounders ahead of specialist players and not backing a stable batting order.

Zaheer Khan said on Cricbuzz, “So the accountability and the appraisal is always going to be there. It goes hand in hand and the job demands you to be that way. The scrutiny with the game is always going to be there with your role. So you’ve got to be able to balance it. You’ve got to be thick skinned to be able to deal with all these criticisms.”

Khan highlighted that India is expected to win every game as they have the team to deliver in all conditions.

“Emotions run high and you are expected to win every game. And you are expected to win because you’ve been doing that consistently. So you have the strength in your side to be able to achieve those kinds of milestones and to have those kinds of victories.”

On the other hand, Khan wants India to prepare pitches that last for five days. The opening Test between India and South Africa at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, ended in less than three days.

“Playing at home, you have to score runs. If you are not able to right now do that consistently then create pitches which are going to last five days and go that way. Even if you don’t get the results in a few games, that’s fine. But some kind of simplified but clear thinking is required as far as the Test match format is concerned,” said Zaheer (via the aforementioned source).

India’s next Test series will be against Sri Lanka in August 2026.