BCCI to Review Gautam Gambhir’s Future Post Champions Trophy

Amid speculation of dressing room discontent over his persistent emphasis on ending the ‘superstar culture’ in the Indian team, head coach Gautam Gambhir’s future will be reviewed based on India’s performance in the Champions Trophy next month. After Gambhir took over in July last year, India lost six of the ten Tests and a bilateral ODI series in Sri Lanka.

Due to this and their poor form, there is also speculation about the international careers of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Along with this, Gambhir’s position is also not that strong now. There is speculation that there were differences between him and the key players during the Border Gavaskar Trophy in Australia. India had to face a 1-3 defeat in the series.

A board source said, “If the Indian team does not perform well in the Champions Trophy, then the position of the head coach will also be bad. His contract is till the 2027 World Cup but the review will continue. Results are important in sports and till now Gambhir has not given concrete results. BCCI has reviewed the performance of the team in Australia. It is understood that there is disagreement between Gambhir and the senior players on the issue of team culture.”

The source said, “Gambhir wants to end the superstar culture which has been going on for so many years. In 2012, while being the captain of Kolkata Knight Riders, he himself sat out and Brendon McCullum captained the IPL final against Chennai Super Kings.” The source said, “He has come to an end to the superstar culture and some players are having problems with this.”

Giving an example, he said, “Once, while being the captain of the Delhi Ranji team, Gambhir decided that he would play the home matches at Roshanara ground where the pitch is green but a big superstar out of the Indian team insisted on playing at Jamia Millia Islamia ground which was near his house in South Delhi. Gambhir had rejected it. Similarly, he does not want star culture in the Indian team either.”

It is understood that he was not happy with the way some star players made demands on hotels and practice timings during the Australia tour. On the other hand, the senior players feel that there is a lack of communication from his side. Amidst all this, there is also the view of the National Selection Committee which does not want the coach to have too much say in selection matters. A former selector said that Gambhir has a glimpse of former coach Greg Chappell.

The former selector said, “Either you remain a friend of the media like Ravi Shastri and keep making statements that give the players an image of ‘alpha male’. Or like Rahul Dravid, Gary Kirsten, or John Wright, quietly do your work and let the players stay in the limelight. Chappell’s method will not work in India.” There was a lot of dissatisfaction among the senior players about Chappell’s coaching methods.

The top officials of the BCCI are also upset with the fact that Gambhir’s personal assistant remained with the team like a shadow everywhere in Australia. He said, “What was his PA doing in the national selectors’ car? They could not even talk in the presence of an unknown person. How did he get a place in the BCCI’s hospitality box in Adelaide? How was he having breakfast in this five-star hotel complex which was reserved for the team members.”