Even a smile on the face is rare when it comes to India head coach Gautam Gambhir, let alone passionate celebrations. But, as the Indian team secured a narrow 6-run victory against England at the Kennington Oval on Monday, Gambhir couldn’t hold his emotions in the dressing room. The coach, known for his serious demeanor, no matter the situation, let it loose as India’s bowling coach Morne Morkel, an ecstatic Gambhir in the air after Mohammed Siraj bagged the match-winning wicket of Gus Atkinson in the middle.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) shared a video highlighting the dressing room scenes when India won the nail-biting contest. The video showed Gambhir jumping into Morne Morkel’s arms like a baby before screaming his lungs out. In a segment of the video, Gambhir could also be seen teary-eyed, with the emotion encapsulating what the victory meant to him.
Raw Emotions straight after #TeamIndia‘s special win at the Kennington Oval #ENGvIND pic.twitter.com/vhrfv8ditL
— BCCI (@BCCI) August 4, 2025
The match entered its most enthralling phase when England’s last batter, Chris Woakes walked in. Fighting with a broken shoulder, Woakes would struggle to even take singles while standing at the non-striker’s end. As his partner Gus Atkinson brought the equation down to seven required with one wicket in hand, every single person in the stadium was tense.
Gambhir peeked out of the window and sent a couple of instructions to his troops before the decisive moment. Gambhir and the rest of the coaching staff watched in anticipation as Mohammed Siraj, who was breathing fire by that point, charged at Atkinson. Siraj’s searing yorker found a way past Atkinson’s wild swipe and dislodged the off stump from its position to seal a six-run and series-levelling triumph for India.
Siraj, on cloud nine, sprinted animatedly and pulled his usual ‘Sui’ celebration and was soon swamped by his compatriots. Gambhir embraced assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate with a passionate hug, and the rest of the crew swiftly joined the celebrations.
After India’s fabled story of success, Gambhir had a simple message and wrote on X, “We’ll win some, we’ll lose some…. but we’ll NEVER surrender! Well done boys!”
The victory held special significance for the Indian head coach, considering the torrid run he endured since the New Zealand home series last October. With India’s next Test assignment being a two-match home assignment against the West Indies, Gambhir would be looking to replicate the success he savoured in England.
With ANI Inputs
