Gautam Gambhir‘s CV as India’s head coach is not impressive. Gambhir has lost an ODI series in Sri Lanka, 0-3 at home against New Zealand – India’s first-ever home whitewash – and then 1-3 in Australia since succeeding Rahul Dravid following the grand success of the T20 World Cup. His only victories were in the T20I series against Sri Lanka and the T20I and Test series at home against Bangladesh. India lost six of its last eight Test matches during his tenure. Gambhir, who has had more freedom to participate in selection meetings than any other Indian coach in the past, is facing increased pressure as the Champions Trophy approaches.
Former India batsman Mohammad Kaif, who has played a lot of cricket with Gambhir, believes the former opener has not been tactically sound. Kaif said it’s understandable that Gambhir hasn’t yet reached the stage of causing changes in Virat Kohli‘s batting technique, but he should have been more strategic in selecting the right XI.
“The best coach is the one with superior tactical abilities. He should know how to select the appropriate XI based on the circumstances. It is the responsibility of the coach to decide which side he should take against a team like Australia. The rest, such as resolving Virat Kohli’s technical issues, may be impossible because he has not yet been given the necessary time. ‘Boss, you do this’ to resolve your batting issues. Perhaps Gambhir has not reached that point yet. He’d need more time. However, Gambhir hasn’t been at the top of his game tactically. He has been lagging behind,” Kaif explained.
‘Why didn’t you play Jadeja in the first Test?’
Kaif criticised Gambhir’s player selection. He believes India should not have started the Border-Gavaskar Trophy by dropping Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin.
“I watched his press conference. I’d like to know exactly where the team failed. Whatever happened between Sam and Kohli has occurred; you are deviating from the topic. The point is that you lost three tests at home to New Zealand. You arrived in Australia with a 19-man squad but did not play Jadeja in the first Test; why? He should have provided an explanation for that. Ashwin, a legend, did not pay for the first test. However, we won the first Test because of Bumrah, but these are tactical mistakes that he must correct in the future,” Kaif stated.
Kaif, one of India’s best fielders, was also dissatisfied with Harshit Rana and Dhruv Jurel starting ahead of Prasidh Krishna and Sarfaraz Khan.
“Why did you choose Dhruv Jurel for the first test? You then dropped him; why? Sarfaraz Khan, who scored 150 on a spinning track, did not get to play a single Test in Australia. Why? What did you see in Harshit Rana that made you choose him over Prasidh Krishna, who is the ideal hit-the-deck bowler for Australian conditions?
