Just three months after taking over as head coach of the Indian side, Gautam Gambhir is under tremendous pressure following historic series losses to Sri Lanka and New Zealand. In addition to receiving a special seat at the selection committee meeting for the Australian tour, he was elevated to the top position with great fanfare. But it is evident from his first report card that the former India opener's prospects are not bright.
Gambhir, who was allowed complete control over selection decisions, would not have as much influence over team-related issues in the future unless there is a spectacular reversal in Australia. India lost an ODI series to Sri Lanka for the first time in 27 years shortly after Gambhir took control, and on Sunday, New Zealand completely destroyed his team in Test matches at home, something the country had never done in its lengthy cricket history.
Although the coach can only do so much, there are now concerns about the lack of caution shown by selecting a rank turner in Mumbai even though it is known that the top order has often failed against good spin bowling on pitches with respectable turnover the previous six to seven years. Those directly involved with Indian cricket have not been able to comprehend Gambhir's attitude of playing the same way, no matter what.
Everyone is questioning the tactical choices made, including sending Sarfaraz Khan at No. 8 in the first innings and bowler Mohammed Siraj as night-watchman on the second evening of the third Test match against New Zealand in Mumbai.
"Gautam Gambhir was given access which his predecessors Ravi Shastri and Rahul Dravid didn't have. The BCCI's rule book doesn't allow coaches to be a part of the selection committee meetings, but for the Australia tour selection meeting, an exception was made. The head coach was allowed to attend considering the magnitude of the tour," a senior BCCI source told PTI on the condition of anonymity.
On the head coach's demand, at least two players are included in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) squad: Andhra and SRH all-rounder Nitish Reddy and Delhi and KKR speedster Harshit Rana. Rana, however, was not assigned to any white-ball matches during the home series against Bangladesh or in Sri Lanka. He was reportedly discharged prior to the last game due to illness, but he returned to bowling in the India nets in Bengaluru a week later. He then had a successful Ranji Trophy match against Assam.
One school of thinking held that Rana might have been sent to Australia with the India A team instead of participating in the Ranji Trophy because he may have hit the right length before the Test series by playing one or two first-class matches on bouncy tracks there. For the recently finished Test series, he was converted into a net bowler, when two of the three tracks were rank turners. Reddy's bowling, which is undoubtedly not good enough to be among the primary five bowlers, has also caused anxiety. In the 'A' game, he got into a tangle while facing a short ball.
Gambhir was sure that Reddy might be Hardik Pandya's perfect replacement as the seam bowling all-rounder after being impressed by his T20 abilities. The Australia series will be a litmus test for Gambhir because, while the board observes his actions from the sidelines, he may also have to be the sign of doom for some senior players. The innovative Delhi man has also come under scrutiny due to the whitewash.
