BGT 2024-25: Gautam Gambhir’s Coaching Under Fire After Test Series Defeat: Rahul Dravid’s successor Gautam Gambhir was known for his exceptional skills in the Indian Premier League (IPL) with the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). After being a mentor for Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and again for KKR, he was appointed India’s head coach to foster freshness and success in the national setup.
KKR won the title under his mentorship as coach in 2024. However, the same performance has begun to get over the Indian coach due to the consecutive defeats in the test series against New Zealand and Australia. The recent 3-1 loss in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy has only intensified the call for his throwing out. With critics ranting about his strategies and the team he has formed.
Series Of Defeats Under Gautam Gambhir Drives Concerns
Team India faced two back-to-back series losses. Starting with the most shocking 0-3 whitewash against New Zealand. This was also the first home Test series loss for India in 2012. This was again followed by a 3-1 series defeat from Australia, culminating in the relinquished Border-Gavaskar Trophy. All these cumulative losses were subject to flak for Gambhir’s coaching methodology.
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Criticism of Gautam Gambhir from Ex-Cricketers and Analysts
Gambhir’s coaching has found itself heavily sullied by the criticisms falling from ex-cricketers and analysts. Basit Ali, a former Pakistan batsman, stated, “Gautam Gambhir ko tactics nahi aati, coaching ki,” which means that Gambhir does not have any tactics of coaching. Moreover, the social media is loaded with fans unchecked. Collecting signatures demanding his immediate sacking because of many discourses on team selections and tactical decisions made on the ground.
Internal Team Dynamics Under Scrutiny
This has been reported to be the most concerning schism in the Indian team. An Australian points to the disjointed bunch and no clear leader within the side to show the cracks within the team. The most highlighted was the absence of the captain, Rohit Sharma, from any public speaking engagement. This is now the talk of the town in connection with discontent and barriers among the members.
Gambhir’s Defence Against Criticism
Gambhir did not candy-coat his responses amid the tirade that was mounting against him. But has approached things with a lot of honesty and accountability. He indeed made domestic cricket a front by saying, “I would want everyone to play domestic cricket if they have commitments towards red-ball cricket.” Gautam Gambhir supported senior players such as Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, arguing that although both are competitive in their early 30s, they still have a future in the team if they want to continue.
Potential Actions by BCCI
It has been reported that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is going to look into Gautam Gambhir’s performance as a head coach. Pressure on him has already built due to early series losses to Sri Lanka and New Zealand, but the recent losses have escalated demands for a complete review of his coaching tenures.
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Future Options
India has to face some more international fixtures on the horizon, and so the question that begs for an answer is whether Gambhir will make the necessary improvements in his coaching patterns to better address the issues facing the team. The BCCI’s assessment is to happen soon, and the likely outcome of the series in which the team will participate will determine Gambhir’s tenure as head coach.
