Coach Gautam Gambhir is definitely not in control as suggested by dressing room ‘leak’

Indian cricket fans have woken up to ‘dressing room leaks’ and how the coach is not in command. Going by a newspaper report on New Year day, January 1, coach Gautam Gambhir has purportedly said he will crack the whip. He means business, or so, we are made to believe. Hey, if this is true, since it is not April Fool’s Day, what was the coach doing till now, a mute spectator?

This is not the first time one has read about a dressing room leak in Indian cricket.  That it began from Melbourne and has travelled to Sydney where India will play Australia in the fifth Test of the BGT Series is interesting. Such stories will never be denied, it can generate more views. Social media is lapping it up as well as serious media. It sells, when you put out as something as one senior player acting like a stand-in captain. By interpretation, one would be tempted to believe, it is Virat Kohli. Worse, there is a lemon being sold Kohli wants to be interim captain of the Test side. All this is nice to read, enjoyable. Has anyone decided that Rohit Sharma will go? Not yet, officially.

Now, the hard facts. When Gambhir was brought on board in July 2024, it was with full power. He chose his support staff, from batting coach Abhishek Nayar to bowling coach Morne Morkel. Only T.Dilip stayed back as fielding coach. So, the resources at the disposal of Gambhir are massive. What have they done till now, needs to be analysed. When the Indian team lost an ODI series in Sri Lanka, it was treated as an aberration. When India lost to New Zealand in a Test series, it was a wake-up call. And now that India are down 1-2 in the BGT Series, Gambhir seems under pressure. And why not?

Nobody expects Gambhir to be a hands-on coach. For that purpose, he has a whole army of assistants from Abhishek Nayar to Morne Morkel and T.Dilip. Frankly speaking, does someone like Virat Kohli need to be taught how to show restraint and not play the cover drive? At best, Gambhir can have a chat and share his expert view. Again, can Gambhir tell Rohit Sharma his batting skills have failed. Ideally, the head coach of the Indian cricket team has to be like a father-figure, a mentor. Someone who can ensure there is positive energy in the team. Even if there has been a harsh speech, nothing should have gone out of the dressing room. There was no ‘bug’ installed in the dressing room.

Has Gambhir lost respect from players and been unable to deliver, these are probing questions. He will have to face all this. Staying silent will do no good. Rewind to the two previous coaches, Ravi Shastri and Rahul Dravid. They commanded respect from the players and had a good relation with the skippers – Virat Kohli and the Rohit Sharma. In all this kite-flying being done now, Gautam Gambhir has to redeem his own image. To say that his position is shaky will be a bit too much. But then, Gambhir will also know, he is answerable as well. The task assigned to him is a big one. Repeated failures will not work.

Even if the BGT series ends in agony for India, the next big assignment is not far away, the Champions Trophy. Gambhir has got his own coaching staff. Some players like Nitish Reddy and Harshit Rana in the side are the ones he pressed for. If there has to be damage control, head coach Gautam Gambhir has to play the lead role. To deal with legends like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, Gambhir has to be a super boss. If he fails, even his head can roll. Nothing is permanent in Indian cricket.