Dream To Nightmare: Is Gambhir Taking A World Cup Winning Team Back To Greg Chappell Era?

Gautam Gambhir and Greg Chapell as India Coach [Source: @cricbuzz, @Cricketracker/x.com]

India is a cricket-crazy nation, and nothing less than a win is acceptable for the fans of their cricketing heroes. It was a dream come true for a generation of young fans when India won the T20 World Cup 2024 under the leadership of Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid's coaching. But since then, it seems like the national team has been plagued by the disease of choking in important games and conceding matches to the opposition. 

The recent dismal shows have raised a burning question among Indian cricket fans. Is Indian Cricket going back to the dark age of Greg Chappell? Coincidentally, the string of failures have come after Gautam Gambhir has taken up the role of head coach of India. So, to put the question more correctly - Is Gautam Gambhir taking a World Cup-winning team back to the Greg Chappell era?

Downward Curve Under Gambhir

Before we can answer the question, let us look at the team's performance in Gambhir's coaching tenure and find out the real reason behind the question.

Rahul Dravid concluded his coaching stint after the team won the T20 World Cup 2024. After that, Gambhir took up the job, and since then, India has lost an ODI series to Sri Lanka after 27 years, got whitewashed in a home Test series for the first time in history, lost a home Test series after 12 years, and lost the Border Gavaskar Trophy after 10 years. The list of failures is quite long, leading you to believe it is a dark phase in Indian cricket.

Gambhir, The Man With Radical Ideas

While we see a dip in India's performances under Gambhir, we must understand a few things about him. Gautam Gambhir has come up with a vision to leave an impact on Indian cricket. You can show the results and tell that the impact is negative, but have you observed the change in India's style of play? If you look at the bold approach of the team under Gambhir, you will understand that the team's motto is to play for a win. When you go with an aggressive intention like this, there are bound to be results that don't go your way. However, there are factors, such as the Indian team going through a transition, that have not let Gambhir's ideas materialise and yeilding results more on the negative side.

Greg Chapell Was Radical But Not Visionary

One of the prime reasons behind relating Gambhir and Chappell was that both have radical ideals about coaching a team. However, in the case of Greg Chappell, most ideas were chalked out with the motive of him dominating Indian cricket. On the other hand, Gambhir is trying to induce a culture of positive cricket into the team. There is a difference of a heaven and a hell between the ideas of Gambhir and Greg Chappell.

What We  As Fans Should Do?

The first thing to be rest assured is that a man like Gambhir will never want the degradation of Indian cricket or the nation's cricketing culture.

Second, give Gambhir time. The team is transitioning, with two prime performers entering the dusk of their careers. So give the man time to get things sorted and communicate his ideas to new-gen players.

Third, be with the team in the lean phase. If you cannot show patience now, then you, as a cricket fan, will not deserve the right to celebrate the laurels that are to come. 

Conclusion

If Gautam Gambhir is allowed time and not given ultimatums like the Champions Trophy is his last or something (as the latest reports suggest), he will hand over his successor a team with character. The Indian team should be left under him for the next couple of years, and if results don't even come after that, personnel change is always possible. If Gambhir is allowed independence, he will not take Indian cricket back to the Greg Chapell era but will probably bring out one of the brightest phases in its history.

PS: This comes from one of the ardent fans of MS Dhoni, but above all an honest fan of Indian cricket.

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