“He’s calling it rebuilding, but it’s not rebuilding” - Moeen Ali slams Gautam Gambhir

Former England all-rounder Moeen Ali criticized Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir for his 'rebuild' statements after the side's 0-2 home Test series defeat to South Africa. 

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After losing to New Zealand 0-3 the previous year, Team India was humiliated by the Proteas for the second time under Gambhir's leadership. 

The Indian coach, however, defended the subpar performance by claiming that the team was rebuilding with a large number of younger players. Veterans Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Ravichandran Ashwin have all retired from the red-ball format since Gambhir took over as head coach in the middle of last year.

"I don't know, it's tough because India expects to win in India all the time. It's not just the news of this series, it's the news of the New Zealand series. I know he's (Gambhir) saying it's a rebuild, but it's not really a rebuild. These guys are top players, one of the top top players,” Ali told NDTV.

"But having watched a bit, I mean they had a good result in the UK, I thought it was a draw in the end, but India really prides itself. India's on a bit of a different level where they pride themselves on that home in particular,” he added.

India has a sub-par Test record under Gambhir, with three series defeats in six affairs and only seven wins in 19 outings.

Ravichandran Ashwin, a former spin-bowling all-rounder, is India's biggest loss in home Test matches, according to Moeen Ali. With 537 wickets, the 39-year-old concluded his outstanding red-ball career as India's second-highest wicket-taker. 

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Up until the 2024 loss to New Zealand, Team India had won every home Test series since 2013 thanks to Ashwin's spin-bowling attack.

"I think Ashwin is a massive miss. The spinners they have are good, but Ashwin was the guy who just gave them that. Especially in India, he was outstanding and I think he's a big miss," said Ali.

At home, Ashwin had an amazing Test record, taking 383 wickets at an average of 21.57, including 29 five-wicket hauls. He also made more than 2000 runs in Tests with four centuries to his name.

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