Gautam Gambhir with Ryan Ten Doeschate© BCCI/Sportzpics
The performances of several veteran Indian cricketers, including the likes of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Mohamed Siraj, etc. have come under the spotlight over recent poor performances. While Rohit and Virat are even being pushed to quit Test cricket, no such verdict exists at present for head coach Gautam Gambhir. With the Champions Trophy being India’s next big assignment, there are some who feel the team’s poor show in the ICC event could lead to Gambhir’s exit. However, former India opener Aakash Chopra feels the Test tour of England will define whether the head coach will stay or not.
Gambhir was brought in as India’s head coach after Rahul Dravid’s exit, following the team’s ICC T20 World Cup triumph last year. As Gambhir nears completion of one year at the job, Chopra feels the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is bound to review his performances as well.
“I feel one more England tour. I don’t think the BCCI will say anything to him until then. After the England tour, it will be a year since he took over the reins. You were supposed to ensure transition within one year. So how he did there, which players he prepared, and whether the team’s performances have improved, a review can be done for him,” Chopra said in a video on his YouTube channel.
If India don’t succeed in the upcoming Champions Trophy and then the England tour, Chopra feels BCCI could seriously ponder moving on from the head coach.
“However, at least one year at the job is absolutely important to review someone’s performance. You need 12 months. So I feel not the Champions Trophy, but the England tour. That might just be a critical barometer or parameter based on which Gautam Gambhir’s performance might be reviewed. It won’t be a bad thing. You review the performances of batters and bowlers, so do it for the coach as well,” Chopra asserted.
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