A divided dressing room, bruised egos, and a coach under fire, has Gambhir pushed Indian cricket into its most turbulent era since Chappell? From bold calls to bruised relationships, Gambhir’s reign is raising the same old ghosts,are we witnessing Chappell 2.0 unfold in real time.
Ever Since Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma retired from Test Cricket and T20I format, a bitter seed has been seeping through the Indian dressing room, media, and fans. There has been a visible rift between the senior players, especially Rohit and Virat, and the head coach Gautam Gambhir. Besides this, Gambhir’s several decisions have come under public scrutiny. From constant shuffling of players, variable batting positions of players, no space for senior bowlers in the squad, and ideological differences with seniors have been major issues of GG’s management.
Gautam Gambhir is known for his passionate approach towards the game and his views. He has often taken a blunt and vocal stance for his decisions in and off the field. However, his excessive aggressive approach has also led him into trouble. His harsh comments on former head coach and cricketer Ravi Shastri almost opened a battlefield and it certainly created a dent on Gambhir’s public image.
From England Triumph to Sudden Fall
On 9th of March, 2024, India won its last test series against any major team when the team won a home series by 4-1 against England. It was a massive victory and people started believing that GG has changed the mindset of the Indian dressing room. However, it turned out to be mere dreary as an almost invincible team started failing like a newbie squad. Within less than 2 years from that fancy series win, Indian team has gone through its lowest test phase of the last two decades. Although, these results are not to be solely blamed on the coaching staff but the problem lies beyond this. Gautam Gambhir has often been found aggressively justifying his over-experimental approach. His thirst for establishing a batsman at eight number, continuously playing with batting positions of different batsmen, and not defining the roles of players have cost the campaigns.
Also Read: Don’t Mess With Virat and Rohit- Ravi Shastri
Above that, his constant rift with giant players like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, R Ashwin, Mohd Shami bifurcated the dressing room into two halves. Cricketing pundits suggest that GG’s actions are very much similar to what Greg Chappell used to follow. The intentions might be right but the results are not falling in the team’s favour.
A couple of days back Ravi Shastri opened up about this tension in the dressing room in a compact interview. He called Virat, Rohit, and Bumrah “Dada Players” (giants of the game). He further said that the management should not mess with players of this stature. Similarly, former Indian cricketer and batting coach Sanjay Bangar insisted that Virat and Rohit should be treated rightly. He emphasized that they are going to be key players keeping eyes on the World Cup 2027. These instances have given wings to several murmurs suggesting that Gautam Gambhir’s arrogance is putting a negative impact on multiple players.
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