India head coach Gautam Gambhir has had a mixed start to his tenure, with some notable successes, particularly with a revamped T20I squad, but also facing humiliating defeats in both the ODI and Test formats. According to a new report, Gambhir, who has been in the role for just around four months, could face the axe if the Men in Blue fail to deliver strong performances during the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia.
Gambhir was appointed as India’s head coach following the successful tenure of his former teammate, Rahul Dravid. Under Dravid's leadership, Team India reached the finals of several prestigious tournaments, including the World Test Championship and the ODI World Cup 2023, while also claiming the title of 2024 T20 World Champions.
But with Gambhir unable to deliver consistent results in the longer format of the game, the Indian cricket board might be looking for a change. As per a report in Hindi daily Dainik Jagran, BCCI could opt for a split coaching role in order to improve the team's performance in the longest format of the game.
The report states that BCCI may opt to have someone like a VVS Laxman to take the full time coaching role for India's red ball team while the White ball coaching role could continue with Gautam Gambhir. Notably, this is almost inverse of the current situation where Laxman, who also heads the NCA, is often sent as the Indian white ball coach with younger players while Gambhir is almost always available present for red ball duties.
Meanwhile, another report from news agency PTI suggests that Gautam Gambhir, captain Rohit Sharma, and chief selector Ajit Agarkar were summoned for a meeting with senior BCCI officials, including secretary Jay Shah and president Roger Binny on Friday.
During the six-hour meeting, concerns were raised about the team's decision-making, particularly regarding the choice of a rank turner for the final Test against New Zealand and the decision to rest vice-captain Jasprit Bumrah.
