India, Nov. 28 -- Gautam Gambhir continues to face unrelenting scrutiny over his Test coaching approach, with the South Africa whitewash only intensifying the pressure on him. India's red-ball strategy and planning have come under fire, with the growing preference for all-rounders over proven specialists drawing strong criticism after the move clearly backfired. The Proteas outplayed the hosts across the board, with their bowlers making smarter use of the conditions and their batters showing superior technique on the spin-friendly surfaces.

Meanwhile, Gambhir's approach has worked impressively in white-ball cricket, guiding India to the Champions Trophy and Asia Cup titles. But he must acknowledge that the same formula isn't translating ...