Why Gambhir being the coach is surprising, what kind of committee is that which selected him/her

Gautam Gambhir will have to shoulder a big responsibility as the coach of Team India: After nearly a month of speculation, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah on Tuesday expectedly announced that Gautam Gambhir will be the new chief coach of the Indian cricket team. Former Team India opener Gautam Gambhir will replace Rahul Dravid, who ended his/her tenure with winning the T20 World Cup played in the US and West Indies. Gambhir, who was a BJP MP from 2019 to 24, retired from active politics before the Lok Sabha elections this year. he/she later guided his/her former IPL team Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to win the title. It was a campaign that greatly increased his/her chances of replacing Dravid.

Beginning of Gambhir era in Indian cricket
Gautam Gambhir was one such contender in front of the BCCI, who could become an alternative to Rahul Dravid. Another candidate interviewed by the BCCI’s Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) was former Indian opener WV Raman. It is understood that Gautam Gambhir’s claim was stronger than that of WV Raman. Except for some time during his/her tenure as MP from 2019 to 2024, he/she remained continuously associated with cricket. Interestingly, Gambhir has never coached any team. Before joining Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) as a mentor ahead of the 2024 season of the IPL, he/she held the position of mentor with Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for two years (2022 and 2023) and on both occasions he/she led the new franchise to the third position.

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Will Gambhir be the coach following Dravid’s tradition?
Rahul Dravid, who speaks less, has left a big mark as a coach. Obviously, his/her successor Gautam Gambhir will have to prove a lot on the field. Rahul Dravid is called Mr. Perfectionist of Indian cricket. When he/she was offered the post of Chief Coach of the Indian cricket team, he/she politely declined it telling BCCI that he/she would start with the junior team first. Rahul Dravid first took the responsibility of preparing players at the junior level. Then he/she brought them to Team India. Therefore, he/she was well aware of the weaknesses and specialties of his/her players.

Low Profile CAC
At present, the Cricket Advisory Committee includes former Team India player Ashok Malhotra along with Jatin Paranjape and Sulakshana Naik. Ashok, Jatin and Sulakshana have played cricket for India. However, the international career of these three has not been very long. Ashok Malhotra has played seven Test matches. Apart from this, he/she has also played 20 ODI matches. Jatin has played four ODI matches for the Indian cricket team. Former Indian women’s cricket team player Sulakshana has played two Tests and 46 ODIs. She has also played 31 T20 International matches. This cannot be compared to the committee of Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman and Sourav Ganguly, which selected Anil Kumble as coach in 2016 and Ravi Shastri in 2017. This low profile CAC does not have the courage to tell the BCCI that we should look for some other options.

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Questions raised on Gambhir’s coaching ability
As far as coaching qualifications are concerned, Gautam Gambhir only has his/her achievements as a mentor of two IPL franchises to show. But, what goes in his/her favour is that as a national coach you don’t need to groom a player from scratch. The coach’s job is to motivate and guide the players apart from formulating strategies. Even Greg Chappell did not have experience of coaching the national team when he/she became India’s coach in 2005.

Will aggression be harmful?
Gautam Gambhir has an aggressive nature. Hence, some people are apprehensive that his/her aggression could ruin his/her career as India coach. People wonder how he/she will handle people like Virat Kohli with whom he/she has had clashes on the field. Then what kind of rapport he/she will have with captain Rohit Sharma, who has been his/her Indian teammate. But people who know him/her closely say that his/her image of an aggressive cricketer is limited to the playing field. They say that off the field, Gambhir is quite jovial and laughs and jokes with his/her teammates. Those who have shared dressing rooms with him/her in various teams – ONGC, Delhi, India Under-19 etc. in the last few years, vouch for the fact that he/she has always been committed to the team.

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Brilliant as player-captain
Gautam Gambhir, however, has been phenomenal as a player and captain. 4,154 runs in 58 Tests, 5,238 runs in 147 ODIs and 932 runs in 37 T20Is. his/her contribution to India’s two victories – the 2007 T20 World Cup (227 runs including 75 in the final) and the 2011 World Cup (393 runs including 97 in the final) – is invaluable. In the IPL, he/she has scored 4,217 runs in 154 matches with 36 half-centuries (492 fours and 59 sixes) at a strike rate of 123.88. So, he/she has the statistics to support his/her stature as a capable left-handed opener – and, as a successful captain. he/she first led KKR to two titles in 2012 and 2014, besides helping the team qualify for the knockout rounds in 2011, 2016 and 2017. Under his/her leadership, KKR looked unbeatable at times. In 2014, Gambhir-led KKR won nine consecutive IPL matches and six in the now-defunct Champions League T20.

Will bring support staff of choice
Now it is believed that Gautam Gambhir will bring the support staff of his/her choice with him/her. The BCCI has thanked Dravid’s support staff, which includes Paras Mhambrey, Vikram Rathore and T Dilip, and wished them all the best for the future. Names like Abhishek Nair, Lakshmipathy Balaji and Vinay Kumar are in the news among those who work with Gautam Gambhir. It has also been learned that Vikram Rathore can be made the successor of VVS Laxman in the National Cricket Academy (NCA).

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Will make a new beginning in Sri Lanka
Gambhir will begin his/her new role during the overseas series, where the Indian team will take on Sri Lanka in a three-match ODI and T20 series starting July 27, 2024. If one sets aside his/her aggressive image, Gambhir has been a courageous cricketer – a warrior who never accepted defeat on the field and never expected anything from anyone. he/she is passionate and fully committed to the team. he/she has a philosophy – the team comes first and a player cannot put himself before the interests of the team. Paying attention to detail, Gambhir is a well-organised and punctual person. Even when he/she used to play and change hotels after every match, his/her hotel room always looked clean. his/her luggage was always inside the suitcase. Gambhir is known for maintaining relationships in cricket. But now is the time for Gambhir’s test. he/she will now have to build strong relations with the Indian team in the dressing room as well.

tag: BCCI Cricket, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Team India, head coach of team india