Gautam Gambhir hasn’t reached the stage to tell Virat Kohli ‘boss you do this’: India head coach's falts laid bare
Kaif said Gambhir hasn't yet reached the stage to trigger changes in Virat Kohli's batting technique but he should have been better with choice of XI.
Gautam Gambhir's CV as the head coach of the Indian team does not bear an impressive look. Since taking over from Rahul Dravid after the grand success of the T20 World Cup, Gambhir has lost an ODI series in Sri Lanka, lost 0-3 at home against New Zealand - India's first-ever whitewash at home and then lost 1-3 in Australia. His only victories came in the T20I series against Sri Lanka and the T20I and Test series at home against Bangladesh. India lost six out of the last eight Test matches under his tenure. With the Champions Trophy coming up, Gambhir, who perhaps got more freedom - he played a big part in selection meetings - than any other Indian coach in the past, is under a lot of pressure.
Former India batter Mohammad Kaif, who has played a lot of cricket with Gambhir, said the former opener has not been sound tactically. Kaif said it is perhaps understandable that Gambhir hasn't yet reached the stage to trigger changes in Virat Kohli's batting technique but he should have been more astute in picking the right XI.
"The best coach is the one who is tactically superior. He should know how to pick the right XI according to the conditions. What side he should go with against a team like Australia, that is a coach's job. The rest, like solving Virat Kohli's technical issues, may not be possible because he may not have gotten that time yet. 'Boss you do this' to solve your batting issues. Perhaps Gambhir hasn't reached that stage yet. He would need more time. But Gambhir hasn't been on the top of his game tactically. He has been lagging behind," Kaif said.
‘Why didn't you play Jadeja in 1st Test?’
Kaif pointed out a number of faults in Gambhir's choice of players. He said India should not have started the Border-Gavaskar Trophy by dropping both Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin.
"I saw his press conference. I would want to know where exactly the team faltered. Whatever happened between Sam and Kohli has happened, you are digressing from the point. The point is that you lost three Tests at home against New Zealand. You reached Australia with a squad of 19 and then didn't play Jadeja in the first Test, why didn't you? He should have given an explanation for that. Ashwin, who is a legend, didn't pay for the first Test. However, we won the first Test because of Bumrah but these are the tactical mistakes that he has to correct in future," Kaif said.
Kaif, one of India's best fielders, was also not happy with Harshit Rana and Dhruv Jurel playing ahead of Prasidh Krishna and Sarfaraz Khan.
"Why did you pick Dhruv Jurel on the first test? You then dropped him, why? Sarfaraz Khan who scored a 150 on a spinning track, didn't get to play a single Test in Australia. Why? What exactly did you see in Harshit Rana that you picked him ahead of Prasidh Krishna, who is the ideal hit-the-deck bowler for Australian conditions?"
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