'New Zealand came to India, they beat us in the Test series, and that hurt me' – Abhishek Nayar on whitewash

November 2, 2026

India’s 3-0 Test series defeat to New Zealand in October and November 2024 marked the first time the home team had been whitewashed in a three-match Test series, ending an 18-match winning streak on Indian soil that had defined their domestic dominance. The historic loss, which followed a 1-3 defeat to Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, prompted soul-searching about the team’s preparation and coaching under Gautam Gambhir, whose leadership faced heightened scrutiny after the back-to-back setbacks.

Abhishek Nayar, who served as assistant coach during the series, acknowledged the emotional toll of the whitewash, calling it a pivotal moment for Gambhir and Indian cricket. He also criticized the grueling scheduling demands on multi-format players like KL Rahul and Shubman Gill, who struggled to transition effectively between ODIs and Tests due to tight preparation windows.

Nayar suggested Test specialists should focus solely on red-ball cricket, arguing the current format juggling was unsustainable. His remarks came as the coaching staff’s future was called into question following the series’ fallout.