Tamim Iqbal Cautions Against Early Judgment of Gambhir's India Coaching Tenure

Tamim Iqbal Cautions Against Early Judgment of Gambhir’s India Coaching Tenure

Former Bangladesh captain Tamim Iqbal has expressed his cautious optimism regarding Gautam Gambhir’s tenure as head coach of the Indian cricket team. Gambhir, who took over the reins from Rahul Dravid in July, has overseen India’s emphatic 280-run victory over Bangladesh in the first Test in Chennai. However, Tamim believes it is premature to fully assess Gambhir’s impact.

“When you’re winning, you don’t know the real character of the man,” Tamim said. “It’s only when you lose a series, then you lose another, that the real character comes out.”

Tamim acknowledged Gambhir’s capabilities but emphasized the need for time to evaluate his performance. “No doubt, he is a capable man, but it’s too early,” he said. “Let India have a bad game, then we will see what comes out.”

Meanwhile, India captain Rohit Sharma opted to bowl first in the second Test in Kanpur. India, who lead the two-match series 1-0, have fielded an unchanged side. Bangladesh, on the other hand, have made two changes, with Khaled Ahmed and Taijul Islam replacing Taskin Ahmed and Nahid Rana.

The start of the match was delayed due to a wet outfield. India had won the opening Test by a commanding margin of 280 runs.