Last month, Gautam Gambhir took over as the head coach of the Indian cricket team, succeeding Rahul Dravid after his tenure ended.
After leading the Kolkata Knight Riders to victory in the 2024 IPL, Gautam Gambhir was appointed as the head coach of the Indian national cricket team. While there were initial concerns about how the former cricketer would gel with the current players, things have been smooth so far. Gambhir was seen engaging in lengthy discussions with Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma ahead of the ODI series against Sri Lanka, and he successfully guided a young Indian squad to victory in the T20Is.
Gambhir’s coaching tenure is set to last until the end of the ODI World Cup in 2027. However, his former teammate Joginder Sharma has expressed doubts about whether Gambhir will see through his full term. Sharma pointed out that Gambhir tends to make decisions that sometimes clash with others’ views, leading to potential controversy. He emphasized that this issue isn’t limited to interactions with Virat Kohli; Gambhir may face challenges with other team members during his time as coach.
Speaking on the Shubhankar Mishra podcast, Sharma said, “Gautam Gambhir team ko sambhalne waala hai lekin par mera ye manna hai ki Gautam Gambhir jyada lambe samay tak tik nahi payega (Gautam Gambhir is the one to manage the team, but I believe that Gautam Gambhir will not be able to stay for a long time),” Joginder said on Shubhankar Mishra’s podcast.
Sharma mentioned that Gambhir might occasionally clash with other players because some of his decisions may not be well-received by everyone.
“Kyunki Gautam Gambhir ke apne hi kuch faisle hote hain. Ho sakta hai kisi player se man mutav ho jaye. Mai Virat Kohli ki baat nahi kar raha hun. Gautam Gambhir ke faisle kai baar aise ho jaate hain ki dusro ko pasand nahi aate (This is because Gautam Gambhir has his own decisions. It might happen that he has a disagreement with a player. I am not talking about Virat Kohli. Many times, Gautam Gambhir’s decisions are such that others do not like them),” Sharma further added.
Following a thrilling tie in the first ODI, India and Sri Lanka faced off again at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Sunday, August 4. India aimed to secure a victory in the second match and gain early momentum. However, their aspirations were dashed as Sri Lanka successfully outperformed the visitors.
