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Gambhir was expected to continue helping the Indian side continue their dominance across the three forms of the game, but that hasn’t been the case.
Gautam Gambhir is now under pressure after India suffered their first Test series defeat on home soil after 12 years. (Image: Sportzpics)
All the excitement that came with Gautam Gambhir being appointed as the Head Coach of the Indian Cricket Team may have died down as the former Indian cricketer is now under pressure to get the team back to winning ways after suffering a whitewash defeat against New Zealand in the three-match Test series on home soil.
Since taking up the job, Gambhir was expected to continue helping the Indian side continue their dominance across the three forms of the game, but that hasn’t been the case, especially in the 50-over and Test format.
Let us now take a look at Gambhir’s record so far as the Head Coach of the Indian Cricket Team.
IND vs SL – 3-0 Win (3 Match T20I Series – Away)
The T20I series marked a significant shift when it comes to the T20I side. With the likes of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja announcing their retirement following the T20 World Cup win, Suryakumar Yadav was given the responsibility to lead in the shortest format. The Sri Lanka series showed how prepared the younger players were to take on the challenges with a dominant series victory where Sri Lanka did not pose much of a threat.
IND vs SL – 0-2 Loss (3 Match ODI Series – Away)
Many expected the Indian team to continue on a similar trajectory following the dominant T20I series win. But that wasn’t the case. Despite the big guns like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Rishabh Pant and others being selected, Sri Lanka’s relatively inferior spin attack managed to outdo their Indian counterparts. Senior Indian batters had their vulnerabilities to spin exposed massively, a theme which would be recurring in the following games as well.
IND vs BAN – 2-0 Win (2 Match Test Series – Home)
After the shocking ODI series defeat, Gambhir had his first Test assignment up next. As expected the Indian side was dominant with both bat and ball against Bangladesh as they went on to take wins in both Tests. There were more positive things to look forward to, including India’s result-oriented mindset which helped them take the win in the second game in Kanpur after the first couple of days had been washed out due to inclement weather. It is safe to say that the Indian side was only tested by the conditions and not by the opposition.
IND vs BAN – 3-0 Win (3 Match T20I Series – Home)
With more younger talents being brought into the fray, India showcased a new level of dominance against Bangladesh in the three-match T20I series. Many of the players who are stars in the IPL, showcased their brilliance on the international stage with many records being broken and also showing a new era of batting where bowlers are under pressure. The final T20I was where the side took things to a new level with the side scoring 297 runs in blistering fashion to show the team’s evolution.
IND vs NZ – 0-3 Loss (3 Match Test Series – Home)
New Zealand was Gambhir’s first major test as Head Coach, and he did not pass with flying colours here. The Indian side suffered their first whitewash on home soil as the Indian batters fell short by a massive margin after being outdone by New Zealand’s spinners. Even in the more pace-friendly conditions at Bengaluru, India’s batters were not up to the mark as many unwanted records were set as the Kiwis created history by ending India’s dominant series-winning streak at home along with suffering their first whitewash on home soil in a Test series with more than 2 matches.
| Gautam Gambhir’s Record As Head Coach | |||||
| Format | Played | Wins | Losses | Draw | Win Pct |
| Tests | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 40 |
| ODIs | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| T20Is | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 100 |
Looking at Gambhir’s numbers as Head Coach of the Indian Cricket Team, it seems that he may have cracked the T20I side of things, considering his experience in the IPL. But when it comes to ODI and Tests, there are a lot of questions that would need to be asked as to whether Gambhir has what it takes to turn things around.
