It has been a topsy-turvy start to the Gautam Gambhir era. India have won both their bilateral T20I series (against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh) but they’ve lost ODIs and Tests to Sri Lanka and New Zealand respectively. In between, they did beat Bangladesh 2-0 in the Test series.
In fact, both the series losses came in a manner where the Rohit Sharma-led side failed to win a single game. They tied the first ODI against Sri Lanka before losing the last two. The 0-3 drubbing against New Zealand was the first-ever Test series whitewashed at home (in a series with three or more games). India were completely outplayed by the Kiwis in all three Tests.
The series loss has put India’s chances of reaching their third successive World Test Championship (WTC) final in danger. They now need to win four out of the five Test matches in Australia which is going to be an uphill task.
In the aftermath of the shocking home series defeat, reports have emerged that the head coach and captain are not on the same page. According to the Hindustan Times, Gambhir and Rohit have disagreed on multiple things. It is being reported that there is a clear difference in opinion and the captain-coach duo have failed to come to a common conclusion.
Hindustan Times have also reported that Rohit and Gambhir seem to be contradicting on the style of cricket India should adopt in Test cricket. The India Test and ODI skipper is known for his aggressive approach with the bat and wants to continue in the same vein as he did in white-ball cricket. However, Gambhir wants India to “play Test cricket like Test cricket should be played”. Apart from that, he also wants the players to “improve defensive play”.
In addition, Gambhir and Rohit seem to have a rift when it comes to the pitches as well. The former India left-handed opener has gone back to preferring turning tracks which assist the spinners right from the get-go. Meanwhile, under Rahul Dravid, India played on solid batting pitches, especially after the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in 2023.
Gambhir has his say in team’s selection
Gambhir has had a significant role in the team selection as well, as reported by Hindustan Times. The likes of Harshit Rana and Nitish Kumar Reddy seem to be his choices. Rana played under his mentorship (in KKR) in the IPL earlier this year. Reddy has replaced Shardul Thakur who has been India’s go-to fourth pacer at No. 8.
However, Rohit admitted that the players and the coaching staff will take time to understand each other. It was only in August when Gambhir and co took over this side. Hence, it is too early to make a judgement.
“They have been good, they have just come in. They are also understanding how this team operates, and how the players operate. It’s important for the players to make sure that the thought process of the coaching staff aligns with theirs and take it forward. It’s been only four or five months now. Too early to judge anything,” Rohit Sharma was quoted saying in the post-series press conference in Mumbai.
India’s next assignment is the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia which starts on the 22nd of November. Things could get even more complex if Rohit Sharma and co fail to do well down under.