Gautam Gambhir’s tenure as head coach of the Indian men’s cricket team has hit a rough patch, with the team suffering a humiliating whitewash in a home Test series against New Zealand. This setback comes after a disappointing ODI series loss to the same opposition.
Gambhir, who took over from the highly successful Rahul Dravid in July, was expected to continue the team’s winning ways. However, the team’s recent performances have raised concerns about his coaching abilities.
One of the main challenges facing Gambhir is the lack of experience in coaching at the First Class or international level. Despite this, he was given a long-term contract and allowed to handpick his coaching staff.
The team’s poor performance has led to murmurs of discontent within the squad, with some players reportedly unhappy with the coaching staff’s methods. However, captain Rohit Sharma has defended Gambhir and his team, emphasizing the need for players to support the coaching staff.
“The coaching staff have been good. They have just come in. It’s not been a lot of time for them. They are also understanding how this team operates, and how the player operates,” Sharma said after India’s loss in the third Test.
“It’s the players’ responsibility to make their job or make their life easier because it’s never easy for anyone to come in and start doing what they are doing because there are a lot of different individuals here and they operate slightly differently.”
Gambhir has admitted that the team’s recent losses are a setback, but he remains confident in his ability to turn things around.
“I never expected a very easy run for me because international cricket is never easy and I believe that. I know that we lost in Sri Lanka, we have lost at home as well against New Zealand. It’s not a great place to be in but all we can do is be honest to ourselves and keep working hard.”
Gambhir’s coaching staff includes Paras Mhambrey, who was an integral member of Dravid’s coaching team. Mhambrey has said that it took him and his colleagues almost a year to get used to the methods of the various individuals in the Indian team.
With the team set to tour Australia for a two-month Test series, Gambhir will be under immense pressure to deliver results. The Border Gavaskar Trophy will be followed by a limited overs leg culminating with the ICC Champions Trophy.
