Mumbai: Gautam Gambhir could find his position as head coach of the Indian cricket team under the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) re-evaluated given India’s performance in the Champions Trophy, which they start alongside arch-rivals Pakistan in Birmingham Saturday, amid growing concerns of discontent within the team.
Having taken charge in July last year, Gambhir has been under pressure ever since India lost six of ten Tests and a bilateral ODI series in Sri Lanka.
However, during his tenure he has been dogged by speculation about rifts with senior players, particularly during the Border Gavaskar Trophy in Australia, which India lost 1-34. “If India doesn’t do well in the Champions Trophy, the head coach’s position will become untenable,” said a senior BCCI source who did not wish to be identified. Result is the keyword for sport, and till now, Gambhir hasn’t delivered any tangible result”.
The big bone of contention is Gambhir wanting out the long-standing ‘superstar culture’ in the team. But this approach has reportedly fallen foul of senior players, who are used to certain privileges. Gambhir’s past decisions, such as dropping himself from an IPL final as Kolkata Knight Riders captain in 2017, were cited as an example by a source close to the matter.
Gambhir also faces concern from the national selection committee over being partial in the team selection. A former selector likened Gambhir’s style to that of an equally controversial former coach, Greg Chappell. “The Chappell Way doesn’t work in India,” he said. The former selector added, ‘Gambhirs or Shastris or Dravids will go, but players will stay.’
Gambhir’s personal assistant’s omnipresence on the Australia tour added to the turmoil as the BCCI brass is not happy about it. Access to some of the team or selectors spaces has also led to questions over the assistant’s access to those spaces.
After a string of forgettable ODI series at home and overseas, all eyes are on Team India’s shape as it heads into the Champions Trophy, with the performance even having the potential to seal the fate of Gambhir’s international career and affect the international careers of senior players like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, who are suffering from form slumps.