"His anger and patience will be tested" - Harbhajan Singh on Gautam Gambhir's challenge during 2024-25 BGT

Former Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh feels head coach Gautam Gambhir will have his patience tested at different times during the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy. India and Australia will battle each other over five Tests, starting in Perth on November 22.

Gambhir's stint as Team India's head coach has started with a series of mixed results. While the side won their first assignment under him - a 3-0 whitewash of Sri Lanka in T20Is, they subsequently suffered a 0-2 defeat in the ODIs.

The story was similar in the red-ball format with India winning the Bangladesh home series 2-0. However, they suffered a stunning 0-3 defeat at home to New Zealand in Gambhir's second Test assignment.

It was India's first home Test series loss since 2012-13 and the first time they were whitewashed at home since 2000.

With the pressure on Gambhir and Team India at its highest due to the New Zealand setback ahead of the all-important Australia tour, Harbhajan said on Jatin Sapru's YouTube channel:

"It is difficult to run big teams, everyone takes time. If the results were fine, everyone would have said 'see, Gautam is making the team win'. The series against Australia is important, a lot of things will be tested. Gautam Gambhir who will be sitting outside, his anger and patience will be tested."

India have been successful against Australia in Tests over the recent years, winning their previous four bilateral series.

Yet, the latest meeting between the sides saw Australia defeat the Asian giants in the 2023 World Test Championship (WTC) final by 209 runs.

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"If the series doesn't go well, Gambhir will be at the receiving end" - Harbhajan Singh

Cricket Players Practice Session Before 3rd Match Of New Zealand Vs India Test Series - Source: Getty

Harbhajan Singh felt the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy would be Gautam Gambhir's ultimate litmus test in his coaching tenure.

The former off-spinner cautioned the Indian coach that a series defeat to Australia would likely draw a lot of flak from everyone concerned.

"He cannot control anything from the outside, big players get frustrated sitting on the sidelines. This Test, Gambhir needs to pass. The tour is very important for Gambhir. In this country, everyone has an opinion. Gautam Gambhir must be feeling low, he is on the radar. If the series doesn't go well, Gambhir will be at the receiving end. I want him to stay calm and for the team to perform well," Harbhajan said in the same interaction.

With the shocking New Zealand defeat, India will have to defeat Australia by an unlikely 4-0 or better margin to confirm qualification for the 2025 WTC final without depending on other team results.