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Cricket PlayersBCCI told to 'review' Gambhir's stint as India coach: 'One year since you took over… were supposed to ensure transition'
Gautam Gambhir's job is expected to be safe until India's tour of England, but once that's over, there may be no guarantees.
Admit it. Gautam Gambhir's time as India's head coach has been anything but satisfactory. Taking up the reins from the World Cup-winning coach, Rahul Dravid, Gambhir has endured a rough tenure thus far. Besides a T20I whitewash against Sri Lanka, Gambhir doesn't have much to show. In fact, if anything, a 0-3 defeat at home against New Zealand, by the same margin in Sri Lanka in ODIs and losing the Border-Gavaskar Trophy to Australia following a 1-3 defeat, has placed Gambhir in the firing line.
With a big year ahead for the Indian men's cricket team with the Champions Trophy and a five-Test tour of England, Gambhir's performance can seriously come under the scanner if things don't improve. Currently in charge of the T20I team playing England, subsequently followed by the ODIs, Gambhir's true test will be the Champions Trophy, which begins February 19. India, winners in 2013 and runner-up in 2017, are one of the favourites, and if the wheels come off again in Dubai, Gambhir won't have much to save far.
However, Aakash Chopra feels Gambhir's job won't be at stake even if the team stumbled in the Champions Trophy. The former India opener reckons BCCI should thoroughly assess Gambhir's hits and misses only after he completes at least a year in charge. Gambhir was officially appointed head coach of the team in July last year, hence, with the England Tests beginning June, Chopra is confident that the BCCI would review his performance at the end of the five-Test series.
'BCCI won't say anything to Gambhir till England tour'
"I feel one more England tour. I don't think the BCCI will say anything to him until then. After the England tour, it will be a year since he took over the reins. You were supposed to ensure transition within one year. So how he did there, which players he prepared, and whether the team's performances have improved, a review can be done for him," Chopra said on his YouTube channel.
"However, at least one year at the job is absolutely important to review someone's performance. You need 12 months. So I feel not the Champions Trophy, but the England tour. That might just be a critical barometer or parameter based on which Gautam Gambhir's performance might be reviewed. It won't be a bad thing. You review the performances of batters and bowlers, so do it for the coach as well," Chopra added.
The last time India toured England, they drew the series 2-2 under Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri – Jasprit Bumrah was the stand-in captain for the rescheduled fifth Test the following year at Edgbaston. With a series lost in Australia, another defeat in England could result in some serious repercussions – not just for Gambhir but also for some of the established stars in the team. It's unlikely that Rohit Sharma would make the trip to England, although a lot can change in five months. The same may not apply to Virat Kohli, but a poor series could severely dent his legacy as well.
