Gautam Gambhir has seen extreme results under his young tenure as Team India men’s head coach. On one hand, India’s revamped T20I team has been going rampant, especially batting, but on the other hand, Gambhir has experienced humiliating losses in the ODI and Test format respectively. Now, with the all-important Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 on the horizon, a report suggests that Gambhir could lose his job as India’s head coach if India lose the India vs Australia series by a significant margin.
India lost to New Zealand 0-3 and faced their first-ever clean-sweep in a Test series at home since 2000. It was also India’s first-ever clean-sweep loss in a Test series that consisted of three or more Tests. This humiliating loss not only cost India important WTC points but also raised questions on the likes of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and coach Gautam Gambhir.
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Coach Gambhir To Be Sacked If India Don't Perform In Australia
As per a report in Dainik Jagran, if India struggle big time during the Australia tour, Gambhir could face the possibility of being sacked as Test coach. The report states that BCCI might consider a split coaching system to enhance India's performance in the longest format adding that VVS Laxman could be appointed as the full-time red-ball coach, while Gautam Gambhir would continue to oversee the white-ball team.
Notably, Gambhir took over the role from Rahul Dravid, who stepped down after guiding India to a T20 World Cup triumph in 2024.
Laxman, currently the head of the National Cricket Academy (NCA), often serves as the white-ball coach for India's younger squads, while Gambhir primarily handles red-ball duties. Laxman has stepped in as a stand-in coach whenever Dravid (earlier) or Gambhir were unavailable due to senior team commitments or leave. He is currently coaching the Indian team on their four-match T20I series tour in South Africa.