Gautam Gambhir, India’s head coach, is set to lose much of his powers at the helm of the Men in Blue, as BCCI has decided to tighten their grip on various things after New Zealand handed them an embarrassing 3-0 Test series defeat at home.
Gautam Gambhir, Team India’s head coach, is currently under fire following the team’s 0-3 home series defeat to New Zealand. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is planning to limit Gambhir’s authority, which his predecessors Ravi Shastri and Rahul Dravid lacked.
Gambhir took over as head coach after Rahul Dravid stepped down following India’s T20 World Cup victory. However, his first tour did not go well, with India losing 0-2 to Sri Lanka in ODIs. Before the New Zealand series, India won the Test series against Bangladesh.
Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024 to be crucial for Gautam Gambhir’s future as India’s head coach
The BCCI made an exception to the norms by allowing Gautam Gambhir to attend the selection meeting for India’s tour to Australia. However, if the squad’s performance does not improve much in the forthcoming five-match series, the board may limit Gambhir’s influence over team selection.
According to the Press Trust of India (PTI), the BCCI allowed Gambhir to attend the selection meeting for the next Australian trip, unlike prior coaches Ravi Shastri and Rahul Dravid. According to BCCI rules, head coaches would not be allowed to attend selection committee meetings.
“Gautam Gambhir was given access which his predecessors Ravi Shastri and Rahul Dravid didn’t have. The BCCI’s rule book doesn’t allow coaches to participate in the selection committee meetings, but an exception was made for the Australia tour selection meeting. Gambhir was allowed to attend considering the magnitude of the tour,” a senior BCCI source told PTI.
Gambhir received criticism for his actions as head coach, particularly for selecting a spin-friendly ground in Mumbai for the third Test against New Zealand. His tactical decisions, such as sending Mohammed Siraj in as a night watchman and demoting Sarfaraz Khan to bat at No. 8, have sparked criticism.
The Indian cricket team’s next red-ball assignment is the Border-Gavaskar Trophy match against Australia. India must win this series 4-0 to go to the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2025 final. Gambhir’s future is greatly dependent on the team’s performance throughout the series.
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