India captain Gill breaks silence after South Africa whitewash

KARACHI: India's Test captain Shubman Gill wrote a cryptic post on social media following his team's 2-0 home series whitewash at the hands of South Africa on Wednesday.

Gill, who helped India draw a five-match away series against England in his first assignment as Test captain, was not part of the side that suffered their heaviest defeat in the longest format in terms of runs, due to a neck injury.

The two-time ICC World Test Championship (WTC) runners-up were bowled out for a meagre 140 while chasing a mammoth 549-run target and thus went down by a gruelling 408 runs.

The series defeat also marked India's first against South Africa at home in 25 years and added to their recent dismal performances in the longest format, which saw them surrender the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) against Australia and a 3-0 whitewash against New Zealand last November.

However, their captain Gill remained unfazed by the gruelling defeat and instead argued that storm forges steady hands – metaphorically emphasising that setbacks build steadiness before reaffirming his commitment towards backing his teammates.

"Calm seas don't teach you how to steer, it's the storm that forges steady hands. We'll continue to believe in each other, fight for each other, and move forward – rising stronger," Gill wrote.

Gill's cryptic social media post came when the India men's cricket team is under scrutiny for its recent failures in the longest format, with fans calling for the removal of legendary opening batter Gautam Gambhir as the head coach.

"There's no hindsight in sports. Whatever decisions we took, we took in the best interest of the team, and we absolutely believed that those were in the best interest of the team," Gambhir said at the post-match press conference earlier today.

"It is upon BCCI to decide. I said it in my first press conference when I took over as head coach. Indian cricket is important, I'm not important.

"And people keep forgetting about it, I'm the same guy who got results for the team in England. With a very young team. And I’m the same guy who won Champions Trophy and Asia Cup as well."