The opening Test of the highly anticipated England vs India series at Headingley turned into a dramatic contest, ending in disappointment for the visitors. England chased down a daunting 371-run target on the final day to secure a five-wicket victory in front of a jubilant home crowd. England had reduced the target to 350 runs after scoring 21/0 on Day 4 with all ten wickets intact. However, what followed on Day 5 shocked Indian fans and stunned cricketing experts alike.
Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley set the tone as England pull off a heroic chase
Despite overcast skies and the threat of rain, England’s openers came out firing. Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley tore into the Indian bowling lineup, posting a 188-run opening partnership that left Shubman Gill and his men scrambling for answers.
Duckett emerged as the hero, hammering a brilliant 149 off just 168 balls, while Crawley chipped in with a fluent 65 before being dismissed. Their opening stand put England in a commanding position heading into the final two sessions.
After Duckett’s departure, Joe Root took charge and ensured there were no hiccups in the chase. The former skipper remained unbeaten on 53, guiding his team to the finish line alongside skipper Ben Stokes (33) and Jamie Smith, who played a confident hand of 44 not out. The hosts reached the target with five wickets in hand, pulling off one of the most remarkable chases in recent Test history.
As expected, the humiliating loss didn’t sit well with Indian fans, many of whom took to social media to vent their frustration. While several players came under scrutiny, it was head coach Gautam Gambhir who bore the brunt of the criticism. Gambhir, known for his no-nonsense, aggressive approach, has failed to bring consistency to India’s red-ball performances. Under his leadership, India have now lost 7 out of 9 Test matches, including a home series whitewash against New Zealand and the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia.
The series of poor results has put Gambhir’s coaching credentials under the scanner. Fans and former players alike are beginning to question whether his style aligns with the demands of long-format cricket. With four more Tests left in the England series, the pressure on Gambhir is now higher than ever.
Also READ: Fans express outrage as England pull off a record-breaking chase to defeat India in the first Test at Headingley
Here’s how fans reacted:
Sack Gautam Gambhir as the Test coach. 1 win in 9 Tests. Has made a mockery of a side that beat Aus in Aus twice. Personal ego and whims affecting the team combinations.
— Gabbar (@GabbbarSingh) June 24, 2025
1 win in last 9 tests @GautamGambhir pic.twitter.com/KY9acHF5wC
— ︎. (@Dhanushvk_) June 24, 2025
Gautam Gambhir will be remembered as the weakest Coach of team India.
He is worst than Greg Chappell. pic.twitter.com/2w9IGe0HQG
— Ctrl C Ctrl Memes (@Ctrlmemes_) June 24, 2025
Rohit Sharma won series 4-1 with same team against England.
I am saying it again. Everything was good until Gautam Gambhir was appointed as Head Coach. pic.twitter.com/rU9Mp92syX
— Selfless⁴⁵ (@SelflessCricket) June 24, 2025
Gautam Gambhir as a coach
– Lost the ODI Series vs SL
– Lost the Test series vs NZ at home
– Ended the 12 year Test series win streak
– Lost BGT after 12 years
– Bottled WTC Final qualification
– Forced Kohli and Rohit to retire
– Bottled the first test vs ENG pic.twitter.com/tWVutKq6cl— Beast (@Beast__07_) June 24, 2025
Gautam Gambhir once mocked Greatest Coach Ravi Shastri.
but under his own Coaching, India lost 7 out of 9 Tests and drew 1. pic.twitter.com/srnz85qRMK— Sidhu (@Sojaa_mdc) June 25, 2025
BCCI should have dropped Gautam Gambhir from test Coaching but BCCI forced Virat Kohli,Ravi Ashwin and Rohit Sharma retirement.He is pathetic as a test coach, lost to New Zealand in home, against Australia now in England. pic.twitter.com/l23mOhHmC1
— Sujeet Suman (@sujeetsuman1991) June 24, 2025
lost the test match despite scoring 5 centuries, welcome to the gautam gambhir era pic.twitter.com/uqI0fMmNsq
— sir jacob bethell (@bet_helll) June 24, 2025
On a serious note, go easy on Gill.
It’s his first match as captain, and he did well, he will find his rhythm eventually.If anything, direct that energy towards Gautam Gambhir, he used to criticize team selections like a proper troll before stepping into the coach’s role.
— Yashvi (@BreatheKohli) June 24, 2025
Team India in Tests after Gautam Gambhir’s entry. pic.twitter.com/EMxB2S7lh0
— Godman Chikna (@Madan_Chikna) June 24, 2025
This Gautam Gambhir is the Most useless coach in recent times .
#INDvsENG pic.twitter.com/koF1u3O1mB— Che_Krishna (@CheKrishnaCk_) June 24, 2025
Gautam Gambhir era pic.twitter.com/8pFzyCLt8A
— iyersena (@ankitKumar12309) June 25, 2025
There are no shields for Gautam Gambhir, the Indian test team head coach anymore. The under performing seniors have all retired. Either he manages to turn this series around spectacularly from here or we bid him goodbye as our test coach. It has gone from bad to worse.
— Zucker Doctor (@DoctorLFC) June 24, 2025
These guys were never a problem, the problem is Gautam Gambhir.#ENGvIND pic.twitter.com/6fBespUoLS
— jataayu (@WoKyaHotaHai) June 24, 2025
Gautam Gambhir is the Greg Chappell of India#INDvsENG#ceasefire@BCCI pic.twitter.com/8joH2XEyD1
— Tapash Sahani (@TapashBJP) June 24, 2025
As long as Gautam Gambhir is the head coach, the Indian test team will keep losing. The man has no clue how to coach a test team.
— Donato Pavrey (@donatopavrey) June 25, 2025
Gautam Gambhir Right Now#INDvsENG | #England | #ENGvIND | pic.twitter.com/MAyex0zsML
— Siju Moothedath (@SijuMoothedath) June 25, 2025
Also WATCH: Ravindra Jadeja’s playful fist gesture with umpire wins hearts on Day 5 of Headingley Test
