India coach Gautam Gambhir has been under fire for India's poor performance in Test cricket. India defeated Bangladesh in Gambhir's first series as coach, but what followed was a series of shambolic performances. India were hammered by New Zealand at home, and also lost the Border‑Gavaskar Trophy after a decade. The England tour also didn’t get off to a great start as India suffered a five-wicket defeat after failing to defend 371.

Many people have blamed Gautam Gambhir for India's dip in form, and as head coach, he is bound to get criticised, but is it fair on him to take all the criticism? He is the coach of a team that is going through a transition, and most teams going through such a phase are bound to struggle. India have not been blown away by teams, but they have let games slip out of their hands from a position of strength.

In the first Test against England, India were in a great position at 430-3, but the lower order collapsed and they were bowled out for 471. In the second innings, they slipped from 287‑3 to 364 all out. They dropped multiple catches, and England cashed in big time.

India have a fielding coach in T. Dilip and he is answerable for the drop catches. Had India taken those catches, there was a good chance they would have ended up winning the game.

Injuries to key players have also resulted in India's poor performance. India didn't have Mohammed Shami, one of the leading pacers, in the New Zealand, Australia and England series. Siraj lost form, and all the load came on Bumrah. It must be remembered that players who came in as replacements didn’t do as well as expected, and the Australia and England tours are tough for visiting teams anyway. Add to that the poor form of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma - the two mainstays of India's batting. Had India played their best XI, the results might have been different.

Gambhir has also been bashed for his obsession with deep batting. In the second Test against England, he played Washington Sundar ahead of Kuldeep Yadav. This is indeed a debatable move, but given how India collapsed in the first Test, this move wasn’t a brain-fade, and who knows, it might pay off as Sundar is a very handy cricketer.

Gambhir is still in his early days and should be given some time to build the team he wants. No team can become world-class without trying different combinations, and there is always a risk of failure with experiments. However, it gives the team an idea about what works and what doesn’t.

And remember, Gambhir delivered terrific results in shorter formats, leading India to the ICC Champions Trophy win, when he had the best players available.