Former Indian Cricket Star Compares VVS Laxman's and Gautam Gambhir's Coaching; Says He Backed A Traditional Combination
Since India's two-match T20I series loss to Ireland, followed by a white-ball humiliation at the hands of England, including a 4-0 T20I series defeat, there have been calls to remove Gambhir as head coach.
XtraTime Newsweek: Former cricketer Mohammad Kaif appeared to mock Gautam Gambhir amid growing criticism of the Indian men's senior team's head coach following series losses against Ireland and England last month. Since India's two-match T20I series loss to Ireland, followed by a white-ball humiliation at the hands of England, including a 4-0 T20I series defeat, there have been calls to remove Gambhir as head coach. In contrast, India, led by VVS Laxman, the current head of the BCCI's Centre of Excellence (CoE), defeated Zimbabwe convincingly in Gambhir's absence.
Kaif compared Gambhir and Laxman's coaching approaches, noting that the CoE chairman employed the customary mix of seven hitters and four bowlers rather than an extra all-rounder.
"What VVS Laxman did brilliantly in Zimbabwe was backing a traditional combination: seven proper batsmen and four proper bowlers. He didn't overly rely on finding an all-rounder for the number eight spot just for the sake of it. He backed his playing XI clearly. When a new coach comes in, winning the easy matches is expected, but the pressure builds during these tough overseas tours," said Kaif.
For perspective, Gambhir has frequently been chastised for sacrificing a good bowler in favour of an additional all-rounder at number eight.
However, Kaif argued that the dismal performances were due to both the coach and the captain. Kaif believes it would be intriguing to watch how Gill can get the most out of his players, especially given India's previous troubles in red-ball cricket.
"I want to focus less on the coaches and more on the captain. The coach will guide the team, but a captain's tenure can last 10-12 years. I want to see how Shubman Gill motivates his players and handles the team when the chips are down. He showed great leadership qualities by building and leading his IPL team, the Gujarat Titans. He is young, but he has the potential to be a long-term leader for India," he added.