Gautam Gambhir has had a pretty challenging stint as the head coach of India, given the sequence of unsatisfactory results. Having taken over the reins from Rahul Dravid after India’s victorious T20 World Cup campaign, Gambhir has been in charge when India lost series after series: from the ODI series in Sri Lanka to an embarrassing 0-3 whitewash against New Zealand on home soil (the first such defeat at home for India) and then the 1-3 result against Australia. His only major victories have been in T20I series against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh while he has also won a Test series at home against Bangladesh. But India has lost six of their last eight Test matches with Gambhir at the helm. With the Champions Trophy around the corner, it seems his position is under scrutiny, more so in the context of the new-found freedom he has been given to make decisions about the team.
Former India batsman Mohammad Kaif, who had played with Gambhir, did not hesitate to criticize the coach for his lack of tactical acumen. He acknowledged that Gambhir might still not have enough authority to change Virat Kohli’s batting style but went on to point out that a coach should know how to take the right call on the XI to be chosen according to the situation. Kaif said, “The best coach is the one who is tactically superior. He should know how to pick the right XI according to the conditions. What side he should go with against a team like Australia, that is a coach’s job. The rest, like solving Virat Kohli’s technical issues, may not be possible because he may not have gotten that time yet. ‘Boss you do this’ to solve your batting issues. Perhaps Gambhir hasn’t reached that stage yet. He would need more time. But Gambhir hasn’t been on the top of his game tactically. He has been lagging behind. ”
Kaif further mentioned tactical errors in Gambhir’s player choices, especially in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. He asked why India had begun the series without Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin, who is an experienced player, and was not considered for the first Test. “I saw his press conference. I would want to know where exactly the team faltered. Whatever happened between Sam and Kohli has happened, you are digressing from the point. The point is that you lost three Tests at home against New Zealand. You reached Australia with a squad of 19 and then didn’t play Jadeja in the first Test, why didn’t you? He should have given an explanation for that. Ashwin, who is a legend, didn’t play for the first Test. However, we won the first Test because of Bumrah but these are the tactical mistakes that he has to correct in future,” Kaif said.
Former fielder Kaif also had his say, expressing dissatisfaction over the selection of some players like Harshit Rana and Dhruv Jurel ahead of others like Prasidh Krishna and Sarfaraz Khan. “What was the reason for selecting Dhruv Jurel in the first Test? Then you replaced him, but why? Sarfaraz Khan, who made a score of 150 on a turning pitch, didn’t get a single opportunity to play a Test in Australia. Why not? What precisely did you find in Harshit Rana that prompted you to choose him over Prasidh Krishna, who is the perfect hit-the-deck bowler for Australian conditions? ” Kaif questioned.
