If there’s one thing I have understood watching sports for the past one and a half decades, it’s that if you fail to address the basic issues in your performance and the team, it will inevitably come down to haunt you. No amount of nail-biting wins or individual brilliance can save you from the sheer embarrassment and the slippery slope of losses once all that glitters isn’t enough to cover for the rotten pillars. The humiliation in the recently concluded New Zealand series was perhaps a much-needed reminder to introspect what has been wrong with the Indian Cricket Team.
Of all the facets, one has been the subject of the scrutiny of the internet and the pundits, and for many good reasons – the Head Coach of the Indian Cricket Team, Gautam Gambhir.
Let’s first grasp the magnitude of this series whitewash to New Zealand. The 3rd Test defeat against the Kiwis at Wankhede marked a 3-0 defeat for the Men in Blue, the first whitewash (in a Test series with 3 or more Tests) India faced on their home soil since they started playing cricket. Moreover, right after Gambhir took over the reins, India lost an ODI series to Sri Lanka for the first time in 27 years. And the nature of the defeats to the Kiwis was humiliating, to say the least. There probably wasn’t a single day in the series in which India seemed like the better side. With most of the squad producing lackluster performances, let’s understand why Gambhir is under fire just 3 months into his appointment.
Everyone understands that a new coach needs time to settle in and produce results, but Gambhir inherited a team that was coming back from winning the T20 World Cup and already was one of the top Test nations. His appointment as the Head Coach in all 3 formats was a controversial one as well because he just had the IPL success in his pedigree, and these results in the recently concluded Test series just make things worse for him.
He also enjoyed the freedom of bringing with him several coaching staff members who have previously worked with him including bowling coach Morne Morkel (LSG), and assistant coaches Ryan Ten Doeschates and Abhishek Nayar (both from KKR). This comes as a contradiction to his previous interviews in which he could be seen opposing the appointments of foreign coaches for team India.
With great powers comes great responsibilities and Gambhir was conferred with facilities that his predecessors didn’t have access to. Gambhir was given free rein in selection matters and was also made part of the selection committee meeting for the Australia tour, a report by news agency PTI stated. So naturally, getting his pick of the coaching staff and access from BCCI that his predecessors, Ravi Shastri and Rahul Dravid were not given, Gambhir’s failure to deliver the desired results is now making GG feel the heat of the hot seat.
After failing miserably in his tactical approach in the 1st Test, his tactics again came under scrutiny when he decided to curate a spin-friendly pitch in the Mumbai Test despite the obvious struggles of the Indian batters and the eventual collapse. These instances have raised doubts over his capability as a coach suitable for Test matches. His team selection and announcing the squad for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in the middle of an ongoing series raises further questions.
Before becoming the coach of India, Gambhir was seen criticizing the team management and selection on several platforms. After his stellar success with KKR, his appointment and attitude towards the game brought in a lot of expectations and new hope among the fans. With enormous trust and support from BCCI, Gambhir himself had promised to instill a superior playing style and intent in the team. However, in just three weeks, India has gone from being a major contender to being in the final of the Test Championship to now in a tricky position depending upon the results of the other team.
With expectations high and the fortress crumbling, the pressure to deliver must be unfathomable for Gambhir, thus making the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy a do-or-die for him.