Gautam Gambhir, the man who played a huge role in handing India two of their three World Cups, might be the new head coach. According to reports, the former captain is on BCCI’s radar as a potential replacement for Rahul Dravid once his tenure ends. Even fans are raving about his no-nonsense style of leadership and want him to be the new commander-in-chief.
But should he be at the helm of the Indian cricket team? Does he have the resume to do so? Will he be compatible with big stars like Rohit Sharma or Virat Kohli? Are the BCCI and Team India fans ready for him to make some harsh decisions?
The Kohli-Kumble debacle
In June 2016, another legend, Anil Kumble, was appointed as the head coach of the Indian cricket team. Similar to Gautam Gambhir, Kumble was well respected among the cricket community. However, despite his success, winning multiple Test series’ and taking Team India to the Champions Trophy 2017 Final, he resigned from the position in less than a year.
The reason behind his resignation was then-captain Virat Kohli’s opposition to his style of coaching. One has to understand that Kumble was an old-school coach, and although he was not an authoritarian, he had his own way. If compared with Gambhir, he is nothing but mild. One can imagine the sort of clash that can happen between a no-nonsense head coach like Gambhir and the big stars in the current setup. If Kumble’s style proves to be ‘too much’ what exactly will happen when the KKR mentor helms the role?
Gambhir may also have some conflicts of interest. He’s had verbal alterations with Virat Kohli in the past, and although they seem to be past that now, one can never know. Others like Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, and Rinku Singh have played under him, and an unconscious bias might creep in with players he’s mentored in the IPL since 2022.
India Cricket Team
Recency bias & no proven track record
Having retired from international cricket in 2016 and having last played in 2018, one can say that Gambhir is still in touch with the game. He’s mentoring two IPL teams, the Kolkata Knight Riders and the Lucknow Super Giants, taking them into the playoffs each year. But that’s all the experience he has—3 years.
Pitting him against other top contenders like Stephen Fleming and Justin Langer, the KKR mentor doesn’t have a proven track record, but recent success could get him a nod. He’s also claimed that he’s not into numbers, and given how data-oriented modern T20 cricket is, it surely isn’t a good idea to have a head coach who doesn’t believe his data-driven analysis.
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