New Delhi: All is reportedly not well in the Indian team as the murmurs of unrest continue to grow amid the visitors’ abysmal show in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 in Australia. India suffered a crushing 184-run defeat in the 4th Test in Brisbane to go 1-2 down in the five-match series and are on the verge of being eliminated from the race for the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 final.
India are in a must-win situation ahead of the fifth and final Test and desperately need to turn things around to stay alive in the race for the WTC final and retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Ahead of the all-important fifth Test, multiple reports have emerged suggesting a rift is brewing in the Indian dressing room with the captain and coach reportedly not on the same page.
As per a report in the news agency PTI, India head coach Gambhir’s position is not safe and BCCI might take a call on his future if India’s performances do not improve in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia and the Champions Trophy 2025 which is scheduled to be played in February next year.
Gambhir’s position has come under the scanner after India’s dismal performances across formats under his guidance. Since the former India batter took over as the head coach in June last year, India have lost an ODI series in Sri Lanka for the first time since 1997, their first-ever Test series whitewash at home against New Zealand and have now failed to impress in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia.
“There is a Test match to be played and then there is Champions Trophy. If the performance doesn’t improve, even Gautam Gambhir’s position wouldn’t be safe,” a senior BCCI official was quoted as saying by PTI on Gambhir’s future as the India head coach.
Gautam Gambhir not on same page with most players in Team India
As per the report in PTI, Gambhir is not on the same page with most players in the Indian team and his communication with the players hasn’t been as good as it used to be in the past. As per the report, the likes of Rahul Dravid and Ravi Shastri were far better communicators than Gambhir during their respective tenures as the head coach of the Indian team.
The report further claims that Rohit, who is known to hold regular conversations with players regarding selection matters, has now refrained from speaking to the players individually and has not given clarity to some not-so-junior players about their non-selection in the playing XI.
However, Gambhir, who is known to be a more assertive person, has failed to earn the confidence of some of the players, who are not as senior as Rohit or Kohli but are not rookies either like Nitih Reddy or Harshit Rana. The 5th Test against Australia in Sydney will be an important one for Gambhir as head coach with questions being raised about his future.
India head coach Gautam Gambhir’s job is reportedly not safe amid India’s woeful performance in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 against Australia. Gambhir is reportedly also not popular among many players in the current Indian squad. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
