The head coach of India, Gautam Gambhir, will have to face several questions regarding India's embarrassing defeat in the most recent Test series against South Africa on Wednesday. This defeat now puts India in a precarious position regarding the World Test Championship 2027 final race and will force many into detailed scrutiny of the Indian team's recent Test performances. While Gambhir came in with big expectations, the numbers after this series loss tell a worrying story. India's Struggle Under Gambhir: What the Numbers Say With this defeat in the Guwahati Test, India have recorded their 10th loss under the leadership of Gambhir. This means India have lost more than 50% of their Test matches since he took charge. Led by Gambhir, India have so far played 19 Tests in which they won seven and drew two before losing ten. These numbers are concerning, especially when juxtaposed against India's strong Test record in the past decade. Rarely has India under former coaches such as Ravi Shastri and Rahul Dravid lost a Test series at home. Under Gambhir, India have now lost home Test series against New Zealand (3-0) and South Africa (2-0) and away series against Australia. The 2-2 series draw that was staged against England earlier this year was seen as a mixed result. India played well in phases, but they failed to take key moments, and the missed chances proved costly. India also suffered a major setback last year when they lost a home series to New Zealand. It was India’s first home series defeat in 12 years. Until then, India had lost only two home Test series in 24 outings, but under Gambhir, they have now lost two home series in just 12 months. Also Read | Watch: Guwahati crowd booeing Gautam Gambhir after SA defeats India Selection Mistakes and Unclear Strategies Gambhir's recent selection calls have been under heavy criticism. In the Kolkata Test, he promoted Washington Sundar to bat at No. 3, despite Sundar batting in the lower order during the Guwahati Test. Many felt this sudden change made no sense as well, when Sai Sudharsan was available in the squad. There is a question over the decisions taken by Gambhir on dropping Abhimanyu Easwaran, Sarfaraz Khan, and Devdutt Padikkal from the squad. To begin with, Easwaran travelled with the team to both Australia and England, but the selectors failed to give him one Test match before removing him from the squad. Also, the selection of Arshdeep Singh left many in a dilemma as he was picked but never played, despite him being in the top form. The axing of senior pacer Mohammed Shami has also been cited as a big mistake, with the right-arm bowler no longer in red-ball plans. Dropping Axar Patel, who holds a great record on Indian pitches and who can do well in all the three departments, from the Guwahati Test was another surprise call. Also Read | 408 runs! India suffered humiliating loss, a margin way beyond India's capacity to cover Seniors Forced Out? Transition Gone Wrong There have also been strong claims that Gambhir had an indirect role in the exits of the Indian cricket giants Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Ravichandran Ashwin from Test cricket. All three legends retired from red-ball cricket, and Ashwin later retired from all formats. Even Cheteshwar Pujara faced a similar treatment, which later forced him to retire from international cricket. Moreover, experienced player like Ajinkya Rahane is also not considered for red-ball cricket despite of his consistency in the domestic cricket. The players brought in as their replacements have not come good, and therefore, the transition has been unsuccessful. This failed attempt to rebuild the Test team is now a big factor contributing to India’s poor results. All eyes are on whether Gambhir continues as head coach or steps down as the pressure builds and questions grow. Indeed, the future of Gambhir does look bleak because India will try to find answers in red-ball cricket.