Gautam Gambhir (Source: AFP Photos)
To Coach Gambhir,
The November curse strikes again, and the entire nation suffers another huge heartbreak. For those who think the way Australia crushed India’s hope in November two years back, our hearts were crushed yesterday, in an even bigger way. What once stood as India’s greatest pride is now desperately fighting for its very survival.
After Keshav Maharaj dismissed Mohammed Siraj yesterday, the dressing room may have experienced the pin-drop silence, but in that silence, the hearts of billions of Indian fans were broken. The home soil that once hosted heroic triumphs now stood witness to a defeat darker than anyone’s worst nightmare.
Even after the stars of the game bid adieu to the longest format, we believed high on our players, but moreover, we trusted you, Sir Gambhir. The hero of India’s 2011 World Cup triumph, we trusted you to be the backbone of Team India when the side needed you the most.
For years, we were the unofficial kings of Test cricket, and we fans believed in one phrase ‘Beating India at home in Test can happen only in dreams’. But standing on the peak of the disappointment, it now feels like a nightmare.
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After our boys faced their biggest ever Test defeat in Guwahati, the Proteas proved why they won the WTC and we are still chasing the glory. In the past we defeated them on South African soil but today we failed to fight back on our home soil, if it's not frustrating then what?
Sir, we are not angry, we are broken not just because we lost a match but because we lost our old domination. Once we used to celebrate whenever the opponent used to crumble, but now with every wicket, every batting disaster, those nostalgias turned into life-long traumas.
No, sir, we are not treating you as a villain because we know how valuable you are for our nation. But have you ever thought a fan who holds everything to support his own country, a fan who cheers the loudest in every triumph and rubs shoulders from a distance in defeats will not be affected by the defeat.
From being number one Test team to we slipped at number five after the last defeat, it's just not a team who slipped it was billions of dreams shattered in one take. In crisis, we expected you to be the Kabir Khan who defied every odds, backed players in their worst but unfortunately we didn’t see that.
After a whitewash against New Zealand on home, to a Border-Gavaskar Trophy defeat, and the latest whitewash against South Africa, do we need more reasons to be broken completely? The series wins against Bangladesh and West Indies are glorious but we were once the side Australia was cautious to face.
Five defeats in the last seven home Tests, our downfall in Tests is deeper than ever. Once, losing a Test at home was shameful, and now securing a single victory has become the biggest challenge. As fans had some questions: Where’s the grit that dragged games into day five? Where’s the belief that made us unbeatable? Where is the fire in their eyes?
Sir Gambhir, we were promised to enter a new era, stronger and fiercer than ever. But now it seems like the blueprint of being more dominant has backfired on us. We believed in your aggressive, crystal clear mindset with a winning aim, but the scene is missing from the recent frame.
We understand that you are not a miracle man; transition takes time, too, but we want our old Gambhir back, who used to thrive under the pressure and fire back. Cheer up, our warriors. They must be out of focus a bit, but bring the hunger within them back to believe in their abilities, just as they used to do before.
For our Coach Gambhir, we have an urge, ‘Bring Us Back On The Road To Glory’. Once you said, “we are a gun team”, it is the perfect time to make it happen in real, rising from the ashes. We have already tasted the most humiliating defeats; probably nothing worse is waiting for us after the home humiliation.
Whenever you step into the field again, we will have our jersey on, whenever the opener takes the stance, we will put our faith in high. Dear coach, we are broken but still backing, we are bruised but still not stopping believing in our warriors.
Writing this letter doesn’t mean we are criticizing you; our hearts are screaming for an answer. For the billion fans of this country, Test is just not a format, it’s our soul. We’ve seen you stare down opponents with fire in your eyes and lead India to glory. We need that GG back, the warrior who never blinked.
This is not a single voice as the entire nation is echoing the same thing, “Bring back the dominant Team India we love. Bring back the Men in Blue who can turn even a defeat into a matter of pride.”
With hope, love, faith, and disappointment
A nation that refuses to give up.
.jpg?type=mq "IND vs SA ODI Schedule")
