India, Nov. 26 -- For years, Greg Chappell's name has been shorthand for chaos in Indian cricket. Now, after another defeat in Guwahati, Gautam Gambhir's red-ball record has gone to a place even Chappell never reached - a Test side losing almost two out of every three matches it plays.

Strip away all the drama, the noise, and the nostalgia for past regimes. On cold numbers alone, Gambhir's India in Test cricket is sitting at a loss percentage that no other modern Indian coach comes close to.

Since the John Wright era began in 2000, India have had seven full-time head coaches before Gambhir. Their Test records, in terms of losses, all live in a relatively narrow band between 5% and 33%. Gambhir is an outlier.

Under Rahul Dravid, India p...