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Dahiya does not expect any drastic changes suddenly, but sees Gambhir being honest about India’s recent performances.
India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir will be under pressure after his rocky start as India’s Head Coach. (Picture Credit: Screengrab)
Following India’s series defeat to New Zealand, questions have popped up regarding whether it is time to transition to the next generation of Test players in the Indian team as several stars are nearing the end of their glittering careers.
The former India and Delhi cricketer, Vijay Dahiya sees that the Head Coach of the Indian team, Gautam Gambhir would navigate through the current issues in the typical head-first approach. Dahiya does not expect any drastic changes suddenly, but sees Gambhir being honest about India’s recent performances.
“There won’t be any knee-jerk reaction as team for the third Test against New Zealand and Australia series has been announced but Gautam will be honest and upfront about everything,” Dahiya, who has worked with Gambhir in both Delhi Ranji Trophy and Lucknow Super Giants teams, told PTI.
Even Dahiya also sees a transitional phase around the corner but he backed Gambhir’s communicational skills to back up the process.
“Best part about Gautam is his communication and whoever he will speak to, he will speak openly and in front,” said the former India stumper.
The former Indian selector, MSK Prasad has also suggested that no player can run away from the reality that age will eventually catch up with a player and also called for a look at the approach taken when playing Tests at home.
“Age is natural and you can’t shy away from it. Definitely, a phase like this would come and transition doesn’t happen overnight. In our case, this team has a nice blend of youth and experience but I am worried about a certain pattern,” Prasad told PTI.
“Of late, we aren’t scoring enough runs in the first innings of Test matches. If you can bat long enough to score 450, you’ll give more time to pitches to show wear and tear and in turn it helps the spinners. But the top order isn’t batting long enough,” Prasad added.
The current Indian team have a fair few players that have crossed the 30-year mark with the likes of Mohammed Shami, Rohit Sharma, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and many others, so it is only a matter of time until the big stars would eventually have to move out in place of younger talents to ensure Indian cricket remains at the very top.
(with PTI Inputs)
