Gautam Gambhir is sure to come under intense scrutiny if India fail to square the series in Guwahati following their 30-run loss to South Africa in the opening Test.

But batting coach Sitanshu Kotak has spoken up for Gambhir, suggesting that there could be some ‘agendas’ at play.

“One thing I have felt is that people are just saying Gautam Gambhir, Gautam Gambhir, Gautam Gambhir. No one is saying that this batsman did this, this bowler did that, or I could do something different as a batting coach,” said Kotak during a media interaction on Thursday.

“From the last 30-35 matches India has played, we have lost just two games or so. No one is giving credit for all the games we won. Based on the two matches that we have lost, everyone’s doing ‘Gautam Gambhir, Gautam Gambhir’.

“I am saying this because I am a (member of coaching) staff and I feel bad. That’s not the way... Maybe some individuals have some agendas. Good luck to them, but it is very bad,” he said.

“At the press conference after the last match, Gautam took all the blame on himself. He did that because he felt that the blame should not fall on the curator,” said Kotak.