NEW DELHI: Gautam Gambhir‘s tenure as India’s head coach has been a topic of intense discussion, with mixed performances across formats drawing attention to his leadership. While his influence in T20 cricket has been widely praised, the results in Tests and ODIs have raised questions about the challenges he faced early in his stint.
India began well under Gambhir in Test cricket with a 2-0 series win over Bangladesh, but things quickly turned difficult with a 0-3 defeat to New Zealand and a 1-3 loss to Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Reflecting on this, Dinesh Karthik, speaking on Cricbuzz, commented, “The Bangladesh series was a success, and I think post that, things have gone downhill for him in Tests.”
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Karthik acknowledged the difficulties Gambhir faces, stepping into the role after Rahul Dravid‘s successful stint. “You’ve got to give Gambhir some slack. He has come in at a very tough time post the successful regime of Rahul Dravid. It’s never easy to fill those shoes,” Karthik said.
Gambhir’s remarks about the future of senior players Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli following the Australia series also sparked interest. On this, Karthik shared, “He [Gambhir] wants them [Rohit and Kohli] to take a decision as to what they feel is best.”
In the ODI format, India has played only a handful of matches under Gambhir, including a series loss to Sri Lanka. “When it comes to ODIs, they haven’t played too much, but also remember they lost the series against Sri Lanka. So, it hasn’t been easy in Tests and a very small sample size for ODIs,” Karthik noted.
The coach’s success in T20 cricket, however, has been a bright spot. “He has found immense success in T20 cricket. He has a lot of young boys, and he has been able to have a massive influence over them,” Karthik remarked, contrasting this with the struggles in Tests.
When assessing Gambhir’s impact, Karthik pointed to the importance of harmony between the coach’s vision and the players’ mindset. “The biggest decision for him to make is: Is he very happy with this current set of players? Is he able to influence them over decision-making? Are they aligned with his thought process? If these players are fitting in, then great. If not, then we have to figure out what is the best way moving forward. Test cricket has been hard for Gautam Gambhir as the coach.”
Karthik concluded by acknowledging the challenges Gambhir faces and the limited influence a coach can have during matches. “The pressure is mounting. All he can do is give them freedom, give them the security they want in the dressing room, and try to keep a very nice and safe even sort of place there. But when the player walks out, he has to find a way to counter his demons and the opposition’s questions,” he concluded.
