Gautam Gambhir is nearing one year at the helm as India’s head coach. He joined the role on July 9 last year after Rahul Dravid’s exit following a successful stint that saw him lead India to T20 World Cup glory in the West Indies. Gambhir himself was a two-time World Cup winner and had coached Kolkata Knight Riders to IPL titles. Following VVS Laxman’s refusal to take up the assignment and Ricky Ponting’s application being turned down by the BCCI, Gambhir stood out as the obvious candidate to take Indian cricket into the next era.
India Under Gambhir’s Coaching
Almost a year into Gambhir’s reign, his period has been a roller-coaster ride. While India won the ICC Champions Trophy in March, their performance has been inconsistent. Under the guidance of Gautam Gambhir, India have won merely three Tests out of 11 two against Bangladesh and one against Australia and are presently trailing 0-1 in the current England series.
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Split Captaincy In Indian Team
This inconsistency in success has raised questions about doing away with shared coaching responsibilities, Gambhir concentrating on T20Is and ODIs, and VVS Laxman taking charge of the Test team. The BCCI has been against shared responsibilities, however, in either coaching or captaincy. Even when Virat Kohli resigned as T20I captain in 2021, for example, the board did not consider a split captaincy policy. Though Suryakumar Yadav currently captains India’s T20I side, it’s mainly because he hasn’t earned a place in the ODI XI yet, a scenario Gambhir’s coaching stint is also subject to similar limitations.
In spite of the patchy performances and the current England series where India are threatened with a whitewash, Gambhir’s job as head coach is safe until the 2027 World Cup. The board has no signs of changing his role despite the current performances.
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“Gambhir Has Full Trust Of The Board”
“At the moment, Gambhir is doing a good job with a young team. In transition, you do not always get the intended results. Australia and England both struggled during their transitions. So, it’s premature to take a call on Gambhir. We still have four Test matches in England, and we are hopeful that we can turn things around. Beyond that, we will see. He (Gambhir) has full trust of the board,” a BCCI official told InsideSport.
