The job of Team India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir seems to be in danger. According to a report, Gambhir does not have the same power and support from the BCCI as he had a year ago. The report says the head coach is under a lot of pressure and has lost the trust of some important people in the board as well as in the team.
Some BCCI officials feel that whenever the team loses, Gautam Gambhir blames the players, the Centre of Excellence (CoE) or the support staff but never takes the responsibility himself for the decisions taken by the team management. This feeling has also reached the dressing room now.
The report also claims that some senior players have privately complained about Gautam Gambhir’s style of coaching. They have informally shared their concerns with some former Indian cricketers and with BCCI members.
It is true that Gautam Gambhir still has the support of the BCCI but some officials believe he has not proved himself despite getting full control over the team. He was allowed to bring his own support staff and was given a bigger say in all important decisions.
Earlier, Gautam Gambhir had escaped heavy criticism after India’s defeats against South Africa and Australia, as the blame was put on the players. He was also trolled on social media because he said the team’s poor performance was due to ‘transition’, even though at the start of his job he had said there is nothing like transition.
But now, the mood inside the BCCI has changed. The upcoming tour of Sri Lanka is being seen as a very important series for him. If India performs poorly again, the pressure on him will increase even more.
The only thing saving Gautam Gambhir right now despite India’s poor performance in Tests and the recent bad tour of the UK is his contract. His contract is till 2027. No board, especially BCCI, would want to sack a head coach when the World Cup is just over a year away.
Also, finding a new coach will not be easy because the job requires a lot of travelling and is always under public scrutiny, so not many people will be interested.
