Why hiring Gautam Gambhir as an all-format coach may have been the wrong move?

India’s fortunes in Test cricket have faced a massive turn for the worse. Just few months ago, the team was dead certain to reach the finals of the World Test Championships. Now the team is third in the table and have their task cut out of they have to make it to the summit clash that is to be played in June 2025 at Lord’s. 

One question that everyone seems to be asking is if the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) made a wrong judgement call? Was the decision to hire Gautam Gambhir as the Test coach a wrong move by the board? Gautam Gambhir was appointed the coach after Rahul Dravid stepped down in June. 

While the white-ball team has been playing fabulous cricket particularly in the T20I format, form in Test cricket is concerning. India beat Bangladesh at home with 2-0 margin before suffering a humiliating loss to New Zealand. The tour of Australia began with a win in Perth before the massive loss in Adelaide. 

Why Gautam Gambhir shouldn’t have been named coach of Test team?

3- Lack of direction 

Just before the start of the New Zealand series, new coach Gautam Gambhir had insisted on playing a more attacking brand of cricket. The plans to copy England’s Baz-ball went kaput right on day one of the Bengaluru Test as India were bowled out for 46. Barring the second innings showing in the same test, 7 innings played by the batters have yielded failures. If we take out the 2nd innings in Bengaluru and Perth, Indian batting order has been rocky. Anil Kumble, Ravi Shastri, and Rahul Dravid gave the team some identity. Under Gautam Gambhir the team almost looks directionless with the batters supposedly not knowing their roles. This has been a huge problem for India’s Test team that has been one of the best in the last decade. 

2- Wrong team selections and dubious tactics

It is surprising that Kuldeep Yadav isn’t part of the Test team that is touring Australia. The left-arm wrist spinner could have been a handful especially against someone like Travis Head. ignoring Mukesh Kumar who was the best bowler for India A during the recent Australia A series is also a mystery. Harshit Rana getting fast tracked hasn’t been a great move. One needed much more experience and a player who can take wickets consistently. The entire burden of taking wickets has fallen on Jasprit Bumrah in the absence of Mohammed Shami during the ongoing tour. Mohammed Siraj has blown hot and cold, while Akash Deep and Harshit Rana are just on their first tours. In such a scenario retaining Mukesh Kumar could have been a good choice. Sai Sudharsan was another batter who deserved a place in the team after scoring well during the India A vs Australia A series. With the top order facing constant collapses, Sudharsan could have provided the much needed back-up for India. 

1- Lack of experience in coaching in longer formats

Gautam Gambhir was literally handpicked by BCCI after Kolkata Knight Riders won IPL 2024. What one tends to forget is, Gambhir wasn’t the coach of the side and he was the mentor. The same role he was occupying with Lucknow Super Giants previously, while KKR’s coach is Chandrakant Pandit. If one can analyze, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman have spent time with India A sides that have played long-format matches under their tutelage. This is something Gautam Gambhir doesn’t have, the former India opener has been thrown into the deep sea that we call Test cricket without much prior experience. Gambhir is on the proverbial ‘learning on the job’ phase which has come at a time when the WTC cycle is at its end. 

Summary; 

Team India’s form in the Test format is not only down to the coach but also down to the players. Rohit Sharma has been pretty uninspiring as the leader while Virat Kohli’s form has been very inconsistent. The question will again be thrown towards Gambhir who was expected to take the team ahead. The time has indeed come for the establishment to ask tough questions and it has to start right from the top.