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On Monday, August 4, Shubman Gill-led Team India etched a historic win in the fifth and final Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy at The Oval to conclude the series in a stalemate. After securing a win in the Edgbaston Test (second Test), the visiting side put up a dominant show, drawing the fourth Test in Manchester and fighting till the final minute to secure a close six-run win against England in the fifth Test.
While the win was all the more special as Shubman Gill secured a 2-2 draw in his first Test series as India’s red-ball captain. Although the celebrations broke out soon after Mohammed Siraj, the leading wicket-taker of the five-match Test series, cleaned up Gus Atkinson, Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir also burst out in animated celebration in the Indian dressing room in an edge of the seat clash.
People will come and go….: Gautam Gambhir delivers fiery dressing room speech; goes viral
Hours after the win, Gambhir addressed the Indian dressing room, delivering a passionate speech, video of which was shared by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). While the former Indian cricketer heaped praise of the Indian cricket team and also backed them to get better from hereon. Amidst the loud applause, Gambhir began, "The way the series panned out is all an outstanding result. Congratulations. So remember, you keep getting better, we'll keep working hard, we'll keep improving our areas because if we keep doing that, we can dominate Test cricket for a very long period of time."
"People will come and go, but the culture of the dressing room should always be like that; people want to be part of this culture. That is what we want to create. Good luck, enjoy yourself. You can take a couple of days off. And you deserve every bit of it. What you guys have achieved, you deserve every bit of it. Congratulations," Gambhir said in a video shared by BCCI.TV.
Watch Gautam Gambhir’s dressing room speech:
It is to be noted that this was Gautam Gambhir’s only fourth Test series as Team India’s head coach. During his rein so far, India have won one series, drawn one and lost two - a series whitewash against New Zealand at home and 1-3 defeat in BGT 2024-25.
