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For his perceived reluctance to shoulder responsibility as head coach, Gautam Gambhir has increasingly become a talking point in the BCCI boardroom. According to sources, there is growing concern over what some officials see as his tendency to pass the buck whenever the Indian team suffers a defeat.
Sources told CricBlogger that Gambhir has often been accused of attributing losses to players, the Centre of Excellence (CoE), or members of the support staff, while rarely accepting accountability for decisions taken by the team management. This approach, insiders claim, has not gone unnoticed within the dressing room.
It is understood that some senior players have privately conveyed their reservations about Gambhir’s coaching style to former India cricketers as well as members of the BCCI Apex Council. While these discussions remain informal, they have added to the scrutiny surrounding the head coach.
As things stand, the upcoming tour of Sri Lanka is expected to be a significant test for Gambhir. However, should India fail to deliver in the Island Nation, Gambhir’s position is likely to come under even greater pressure.
A BCCI source, however, insisted that Gambhir continues to enjoy the board’s confidence and remains the undisputed authority within the Indian team. At the same time, another source claimed that Gambhir has been given virtually everything he sought as head coach — from support staff to decision-making authority — but the team’s performances have yet to justify that faith.
Earlier, too, Gambhir escaped much of the blame when India suffered home series defeats against New Zealand and South Africa before losing to Australia Down Under. At the time, the prevailing view within the board was that the players, rather than the head coach, were primarily responsible for the poor results. The argument was simple: there was only so much a coach could do if the players failed to perform.
Even after India lost the England series, Gambhir remained influential enough to secure an extension for a selector believed to be his preferred choice. But the mood within the establishment appears to have shifted. The unquestioned backing he once enjoyed is no longer as strong, and the coming months could prove crucial for his future as India’s head coach.
