Gautam Gambhir Sitting On A 'Ticking Time Bomb' As India Coach Faces Job Uncertainty

Gambhir's job under threat? [Source: @GoatGambhir97/x.com]

"Every defeat is painful - it doesn't matter whether it's a young team or an experienced one. It's an Indian team. That's not an excuse for a loss, because we represent 140 crore Indians," India head coach Gautam Gambhir said after the loss at Headingley. This is the same statement which has been repeated again and again after every loss the team suffers in red-ball cricket but no improvement has been made.

When Gambhir was appointed the head coach of the Indian Team, there was a sense of optimism as the former cricketer was coming off a stellar IPL campaign with Kolkata Knight Riders as he was their mentor for the season. Right from the onset, it looked like the new coach, who was replacing the great Rahul Dravid had a vision for the team and he made everyone believed that he was the right man for the job.

Gautam Gambhir - the early red flag signs he gave as head coach

Gambhir (GG), had a turbulent start on his first tour as the head coach as the Indian side got blanked by Sri Lanka in ODIs. However, despite the clear chinks in his armour, the fans believed in his philosophy, and when India defeated Bangladesh in the Test series, everything looked to be going in the right direction.

However, what followed was a dry patch in Tests which not even the most pessimist of Indian fans would have imagined. Loss after loss, humiliation after humiliation as the head coach had no answer for the adversity the Indian team was facing. Gambhir's white-ball tenure was going fine as the young side was winning series after series but his Test honeymoon phase got over after beating the Tigers at home.

Whatever Gambhir asked for, was given to him by the BCCI - The type of player he wanted, the number of players he wanted, and the players he was pointing at were being given, but positive results were nowhere to be found.

It was as if the head coach had made fake promises to the 140 crore Indian cricket fans and in hindsight he had no vision for India's red-ball cricket.

The two series which ruined Gambhir's image as head coach

The Test series against New Zealand at home was supposed to be the start of "India's New Era", but the era ended within two-Test series as the Indian side lost against the Kiwis at home, and it was followed by getting blanked by the Aussies, Down Under. It was after 12 years that India lost a Test series at home and that too, whitewashed by an inexperienced Kiwi team. The two series losses proved that India made a blunder by appointing Gambhir as the red-ball coach by looking at his white-ball CV.

In his short span as the India Test head coach, Gambhir has created several unwanted records as he faced heat from the Indian fans.

Unwanted records by Gambhir as head coach

1. ODI Series Loss vs Sri Lanka After 27 Years

2. Winless ODIs in a Calendar Year

3. Lowest Total by Any Asian Team in a Home Test Match Against Any Opponent

4. Losing 12 years of Dominance in Home Tests 

5. India’s First Whitewash in Test at Home 

6. First BGT Loss in a Decade

7. Eliminated from WTC Final for the first time

Gambhir sitting on ticking time bomb

Every coach/captain should be given an extended period to showcase his skills, and to deliver the results one promised. The ongoing Test series against England is perhaps the last opportunity for the former India cricketer and current head coach to prove his mettle in the game's longest format.

We are talking about Team India, a side known for producing the best players and the best results. The standards cannot be lowered and anything less than a series win or a draw against England should be considered as a failure.

The first Test against England at Headingley showed a lack of planning on the part of the coaching team. What was the plan against the aggressive Bazballers? Why wasn't the pitch read properly ahead of the Test? Why was the team selection wrong? So many questions and yet, no one has an answer to it. 

Ever since the New Zealand series, the India red-ball team has been making the same mistake again and again, and yet, no one is correcting it. This England side doesn't have an Alastair Cook or a Kevin Pietersen for India to deal with. Neither does it have a Jimmy Anderson or Stuart Broad in the bowling attack. This is perhaps the weakest English team (at least in terms of bowling), and our batters failed to capitalise on the momentum gained during Day 1 of Headingley Test.

 A series loss here and India will already be on the back-foot in terms of the WTC finale race, and that could be curtains for Gambhir as the red-ball coach. A coach cannot enter a Cricket field and bat or bowl for other players but he can certainly give clear instructions and make a proper plan, which, at this moment is lacking in our coach, Gambhir.

Imagine, if India lose this series, will Gambhir remain as the head coach? Should he remain the coach? The piece ends with an open-ended question.

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