Gautam Gambhir's Uncompromising Stance On India's Performance In Australia Tour: ' We Can Never Celebrate Series Loss'

India head coach Gautam Gambhir did not mince words as he reflected on India's recent Australian tour, stating that mediocrity won't cut it and only winning is acceptable as the team sets its eyes on next year's T20 World Cup.

India's 2-1 T20I series triumph over Australia was fortified by the bitter taste of their primary ODI series defeat. Gambhir stated that "commendable" performances in a losing cause should "never" be celebrated.

The ODI series Down Under marked the comeback of batting maestros Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to competitive cricket after the Indian Premier League (IPL). Rohit was adjudged player of the series for a century in the third ODI, which India triumphed to sidestep a whitewash and a 73-run knock in the lost second game.

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Kohli, after successive ducks in the first two games, came good with a 74-run action in the final match. There were also outstanding personal actions by Shreyas Iyer and Axar Patel during the series.

In an interview with 'bcci.tv', Gambhir said while he can be satisfied for the individuals who succeed, but one should never lose track of the bigger picture -- a series loss in this case. Gambhir stated that "commendable" performances in a losing cause should "never" be celebrated.

"...I've always been a believer that it's not about the individual performances. I can be very happy with the individual performances, and I will always remain happy with individual performances. But ultimately it's the loss of one day's series, that's the bottom line and I can never celebrate a series loss as a coach," Gambhir asserted.

Rohit and Kohli have retired from both Tests and T20Is, forcing their limited ODI appearances to evolve heavily followed events for fans.

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"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," Gambhir said.

"Ultimately, we are representing the country, yes, the T20 series was different, we won the series, a lot of positives, but a lot of learning as well," he said.