"Will never celebrate series loss as coach": Gambhir's no-nonsense verdict on India's ODI series defeat in Australia

New Delhi [India], November 10 (ANI): India head coach Gautam Gambhir declared that he would "never celebrate" a series loss, citing the Men in Blue's recent 2-1 ODI series defeat in Australia.

The Indian fan base was in jubilation after batting bigwigs Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli pulled off a chase masterclass in the third ODI in Sydney last month. Rohit dropped his fearless approach, took the game deep and fired an unbeaten 121(125). Virat turned back the clock and delivered one of his vintage performances straight out of the vault and returned with 74* off 81.

India gunned down the 237-run target with 69 deliveries to spare and salvaged a win as the series concluded with a 2-1 defeat. Despite enduring a series defeat, fans felt a wave of euphoria after witnessing the two stalwarts making Australia's fierce attack dance to their tunes. However, for Gambhir, who was delighted with the way Virat and Rohit delivered, the bottom line remained that his side ended up on the losing side.

"No, I don't think so. Honestly, I think I've always been a believer that it's not about the individual performances. Yes, I can be very happy with the individual performances, yes, and I will always remain happy with individual performance, but ultimately, we lost the one-day series," Gambhir said in a video posted by the BCCI on Monday.

"That's the bottom line, and I can never celebrate a series loss as a coach. As a player, I can appreciate individuals, but as a coach, I think it is my moral responsibility that we as a nation and we as individuals should never, never celebrate a series loss. Ultimately, we are representing the country," he added.

India shifted its focus to T20Is and secured a 2-1 series triumph over Australia, with the opening and last fixtures washed out due to incessant rain in Canberra and Brisbane. India will host World Test Champions South Africa for two Tests, starting on Friday, at the famed Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Following the conclusion of the two Tests, India will face the Proteas in three ODIs, marking the return of Rohit and Virat, which will commence on November 30 in Ranchi. (ANI)

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