South Africa won the two test series against India recently. South Africa won the first test at Kolkata by 30 runs and won at Guwahati by a gap of 408 runs. New Zealand knock outs India 3-0 in the latest test series. India is white whitewashed twice in tests recently. Many wizards and ex cricketers are asking for a different coach for the Test side.
Is Gautam Gambhir Responsible For Team India’s Failure?
Image source- Business Standard
Gautam Gambhir is facing the music after India’s loss at home against South Africa. Ex-cricketer Manoj Tiwari was quoted as saying in a recent interview, “To be honest, the writing was on the wall. It had to happen. I knew things were not going well; the process they want to follow is not the right strategy or plan. There was a lot of chopping and changing, which was very evident. That could have been in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, home series against New Zealand, and now against South Africa,” He said. India needs a separate red-ball coach. “Absolutely. There is no question about it. It’s high time they made this decision to save Indian Test cricket. That’s the bottom line.”
Even ex-cricketer Madan Lal said it’s a collective failure, but he added, “It would actually not be a bad idea to have two separate coaches for two formats. Since there’s so much cricket throughout the year, both coaches need to watch domestic cricket and spot talent. Lal said further, “Only then will this plan work. But having two separate coaches for red-ball and white ball may not be a bad idea after all,”
BCCI is yet to go with two different coaches for red-ball and white-ball formats, so it will be a big task for BCCI to see what steps are taken to save Test match cricket. Batsmen with temperament like Rahane and Pujara are required in the test squad. Bowlers with good line and length like Shami and Ashwin can be a big plus. Opting for different coaches will remove the pressure on Gambhir, who has an average record as a Test coach. Test match cricket is a totally different ball game that requires players and coaches with strong nerves and a cool head.
