Gautam Gambhir, appointed as India’s head coach in July, has faced growing challenges as his coaching approach appears to be struggling to make an impact on the team’s batting performance. Despite several discussions with the batting group, the repeated failures in key matches indicate that his message isn’t resonating with the players.
When Gambhir took over from Rahul Dravid, India was riding high, having made the finals of both the World Test Championship and the 50-over World Cup, while also claiming their long-awaited T20 World Cup title in June. However, Gambhir, known for his aggressive and street-smart style of play, lacked formal coaching credentials. Although he had mentoring experience with IPL teams like Lucknow Super Giants and Kolkata Knight Riders, his leadership style was starkly different from the calm and composed Dravid, leading to speculation about how he would mesh with captain Rohit Sharma.
While Dravid and Rohit shared a great rapport, built on mutual respect and understanding, Gambhir’s tenure has faced a more tumultuous start. After a successful T20I series against Sri Lanka in July-August, India faltered during the ODI leg of the same tour, failing to tackle basic spin bowling on challenging pitches. This exposed significant weaknesses in India’s batting against spin, especially among regulars like Rohit, Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill, and KL Rahul, who struggled in the ODI series.
Despite Gambhir’s expertise against spin, his methods seem to have failed to instill the necessary resilience in the team’s batters. India’s struggles continued with a 0-3 defeat to New Zealand at home—their first-ever series loss to the Kiwis on Indian soil. This loss raised questions about Gambhir’s ability to guide the team through critical challenges, yet he has largely avoided the media spotlight since the series.
As Gambhir’s tenure progresses with key tests like the Champions Trophy in February and a five-Test series in England scheduled for June, the scrutiny on his leadership will only intensify. While a coach cannot play for the team, the repeated batting failures under Gambhir’s guidance suggest that his approach may need to be reassessed if India hopes to sustain its success on the international stage.
