'Gautam Gambhir hasn't been on top of his game tactically…': Ex-cricketer after IND vs AUS BGT 2024-25 debacle

Former cricketer Mohammad Kaif has shared his views about Gautam Gambhir as head coach and raised questions on team selection during the recently concluded Border-Gavaskar Trophy between India and Australia.

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“The best coach is the one who is tactically superior. He should know how to pick the right XI according to the conditions. What side he should go with against a team like Australia, that is a coach's job,” Kaif said during a live session on Instagram, acccording to reports.

The former Indian player said Gambhir has not been on the top of his game tactically and is lagging behind. He added, “The rest, like solving Virat Kohli's technical issues, may not be possible because he may not have gotten that time yet. 'Boss you do this' to solve your batting issues. Perhaps Gambhir hasn't reached that stage yet. He would need more time. But Gambhir hasn't been on the top of his game tactically. He has been lagging behind."

Kaif also criticised Gambhir for omitting Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin from India's playing XI in the opening Test. While acknowledging India's win, Kaif argued that it was a tactical mistake not to include the two experienced players and emphasized that Gambhir should learn from these errors to avoid making similar decisions in the future.

“I saw his press conference. I would want to know where exactly the team faltered. Whatever happened between Sam and Kohli has happened, you are digressing from the point. The point is that you lost three Tests at home against New Zealand."

"You reached Australia with a squad of 19 and then didn't play Jadeja in the first Test, why didn't you? He should have given an explanation for that. Ashwin, who is a legend, didn't pay for the first Test. However, we won the first Test because of Bumrah, but these are the tactical mistakes that he has to correct in future,” Kaif observed.

India's performance under Gambhir's coaching

Since replacing Rahul Dravid after India's triumph in the T20 World Cup, Gautam Gambhir has faced several setbacks as head coach. India held its swagger in the T20I format but lost its charm in the ODI and Test formats. Under his leadership, India suffered an ODI series loss in Sri Lanka, Test series against New Zealand and Australia. The only successes came under his coaching was T20I series against Sri Lanka, T20I and Test series at home against Bangladesh.

Earlier, Harbhajan Singh had also raised questions about the Indian team. He said in on his YouTube channel, “In the past six months, we lost to Sri Lanka, a series whitewash against New Zealand and now a 3-1 defeat in Australia. Everything was fine till Rahul Dravid was there. India won the World Cup, and everything was fine. But what happened suddenly?" 

After the BGT ended on a bitter note and having failed to qualify for the WTC final, it has time to think about its next move. India's tour of England starts in June.