Indian cricket team’s recent form has been disappointing and as expected, the team has come under a lot of scrutiny. Not only the players but head coach Gautam Gambhir has also been slammed for his methods.
Gambhir, who is known for his strict and straightforward approach, has been compared to the former India head coach Greg Chappell, under whom the Men in Blue went to a new low in cricket.
Recently, a former selector of the Indian team has opened up on Gambhir’s methods and linked him to Greg Chappell. The selector feels that a player-friendly approach is needed to succeed in India as the head coach.
Also read: ICC Champions Trophy 2025: Rohit Sharma’s Pakistan visit confirmed despite government restrictions
Gautam Gambhir compared with Greg Chappell
According to PTI, a former national selector slammed Gautam Gambhir’s way of working as a head coach and compared his work culture to that of Greg Chappell. The ex-selector also advised Gambhir to follow the path of Ravi Shastri, Rahul Dravid, John Wright, and Gary Kirsten.
“Either you be like a Ravi Shastri, who would be media-friendly, give those sound bites propping up players making them look like alpha males,” the selector was quoted as saying by PTI.
The selector further confirmed that Greg Chappell’s way of working won’t work in the Indian environment and claimed that the coaches will go but the players will remain there.
“Or be like Rahul Dravid, Gary Kirsten or John Wright, who would remain aloof, letting the players hog the limelight. The ‘Chappell Way’ doesn’t work in India. Gambhirs or Shastris or Dravids will go but players will stay,” he noted.
India’s success under different coaches
India had a considerable amount of success under former head coaches like Gary Kirsten and Rahul Dravid. With Kirsten as head coach, India famously won the 2011 ODI World Cup and also rose to the No. 1 spot in the ICC Test rankings.
With Rahul Dravid as head coach, India won the T20 World Cup 2024 and also reached the 2023 ODI World Cup final where they were simply invincible till the final. The Men in Blue also enjoyed a fair bit of success under Ravi Shastri as they won two Test series in Australia during his tenure.
However, the team suffered badly during Greg Chappell’s tenure. Chappell was known for his Australian way which didn’t quite work with the Indian players. The Men in Blue were knocked out of the 2007 ODI World Cup after which Chappell was sacked from his role.
Tough start to Gautam Gambhir’s tenure
The start to Gautam Gambhir’s tenure as India’s head coach hasn’t been an easy one. While the team has continued its exceptional run in the T20I format, their returns in Tests and ODIs have poorly suffered.
In July, India lost an ODI series in Sri Lanka after a gap of 27 years. They also lost a home Test series to New Zealand 0-3 in a shocking manner. It was India’s first Test series loss at home in 12 years.
Recently, the Men in Blue failed to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in which Gautam Gambhir was slammed for a few questionable decisions. Australia went on to win the series 3-1 and thus, confirmed its place in the World Test Championship Final.