India Cricket’s Unexpected Lows: When Gautam Gambhir was appointed as the head coach of the Indian cricket team in July 2024, it was a major undertaking for him. The ex-batsman had to be the one to take the team, which had just been crowned T20 World Champions under Rahul Dravid’s captaincy, to a new place full of aggressiveness, and fight with a different attitude. But the next days were not at all good for Indian cricket as they suffered some historically undesirable records and first-ever defeats in all formats.
India Cricket’s Unexpected Lows
1. First ODI Series Loss to Sri Lanka in 27 Years
One of the first big consequences of Gambhir’s appointment on India’s record occurred during the ODI series in Sri Lanka in August 2024 when India lost with a score of 0-2. This was the first time in 27 years that India had to face an ODI series loss against Sri Lanka. India had been winning most of the bilateral ODI engagements with Sri Lanka in the past, so this loss was like a bright line in the dark indicating that not everything was good with the 50-over format during Gambhir’s early days.
2. First Time India Went Winless in ODIs in a Calendar Year in 45 Years
Even more astonishing was the fact that India did not win any ODI matches throughout the year 2024. This was a historical record and the first time in the last 45 years when the Indian team did not have a single ODI win by the end of the year. A country that usually plays strong one-day cricket found this drought to be a very unusual and terrible statistic.
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3. First Home Test Series Loss in 12 Years
Under Gambhir, India suffered an equally historic setback in red-ball cricket when New Zealand whitewashed India 3-0 in a Test series at home in late 2024. This was India’s first home Test series loss since 2012, and also the first time a touring side had swept a three-match series on Indian soil. India’s historic strength at home especially over spin and batting conditions they traditionally mastered was called into question as the visitors rewrote the record books.
4. Lowest Test Total and First Loss at Iconic Venues in 10 Years
A shocking record was again set during the early days of Gambhir’s captaincy when India was all out for a mere 46 runs in Bengaluru during the New Zealand Test series, the lowest team total for India in a home Test. It was in this very match that India suffered their first Test defeat at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium since 2005, a venue where they had been almost invincible for two decades.
5. First Home Test Loss to New Zealand in 36 Years
While New Zealand’s clean sweep was already a historic moment, the series also included an individual milestone that no Indian team wanted India lost a home Test match to New Zealand for the first time since 1988. This extended drought against the Black Caps at home was finally broken during Gambhir’s coaching era, underscoring how unusual these results were in the long narrative of Indian Test cricket dominance.
It should be mentioned that not all things during Gambhir’s period have been bad. The Indian cricket team bagged ICC tournaments such as the 2025 Champions Trophy and the 2025 Asia Cup, moments that brought delight to the fans and helped a little in building the trust back.
But at the same time having recorded a series of undesirable “firsts” in the primary traditional formats particularly Tests and ODIs this period will not only be associated with victories but with the infrequent defeats that contested India’s long-standing records as well.
