Kolkata: At a time when the Indians were geared up to turn the tables on the mighty Australians when the Men in Blue tour Down Under later this month for the five-Test Border-Gavaskar Trophy, they are in for serious troubles. Coach Gautam Gambhir's role is under scanner following India's 3-0 defeat against New Zealand.
Following the loss in Sri Lanka, and then the debacle against the Kiwis at home, Gambhir has been pulled up on multiple counts, including the team selection and the pitches prepared in the six-hour long review meeting also involving Test and ODI skipper Rohit Sharma, BCCI president Roger Binny, BCCI secretary Jay Shah and chief selector Ajit Agarkar. The meeting took place at the Cricket Centre in Mumbai.
If sources are anything to go by, Gambhir has been given a time frame to prove his worth as the head coach of Team India. "If India do badly in Australia in the 5-Test series, then the Board may think of an alternative. It may also happen that he (Gambhir) would lose the coach's role in the longer format," a source told ETV Bharat on the condition of anonymity.
Gambhir has been found wanting on multiple counts and he was quizzed for more than six hours along with captain Rohit Sharma. The abject batting failure was the focal point along with his team selection strategy. The rank-turners that were dished out for the New Zealand series at home also apparently went against him.
The Kiwi bowlers capitalised on the 22 yards to give India a test of their own medicines after ages. Ajaz Patel being the pick of the bowlers, all their spinners — Mitchell Santnar, Glenn Phillips and Ish Sodhi — were on top of the Indian batters in all the three Tests played on home soil.
Besides Gambhir, the tour Down Under will prove to be the acid test for two senior pros — Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. If they fail in Australia, the axe may not immediately fall on them, but they will surely be on tenterhooks. "If senior pros like Rohit and Virat are not there, then the team will virtually have no experience... So the board will have a slow approach regarding the top players," the board source pointed out.
Meanwhile, it may be far-fetched, but talks are still on who will take over from Gambhir in the longer format if the former Delhi southpaw fails to deliver in Australia. The name that is doing the rounds is VVS Laxman, who is currently heading the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru.
