Debacle in Leeds: India's Test team in free fall under Gautam Gambhir

India's Test team in free fall under Gautam Gambhir (BCCI Photo)

Does Gautam Gambhir have any credit in the bank as a coach at the Test level? The answer is a plain no. India have won the Champions Trophy under his charge, which is a 50-over tournament. The T20I side has been on a roll. But without any prior coaching experience at first-class level, the former India opener has miserably failed to crack the Test code.

Gambhir replaced Rahul Dravid as India’s head coach last summer. His first red-ball assignment was a two-match home series against Bangladesh, and given the gulf in class between the two sides, India were always going to win that easily. But the wheels came off quickly, in the home Test series against New Zealand.

In the first match in Bangalore, India were bowled out for 46 in their first innings. They never recovered. It ended up with a humiliating home series whitewash. The disaster Down Under followed – a 3-1 series defeat in Australia.

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The BCCI held a review meeting in its wake, but the head coach wasn't made accountable. He was empowered instead, to the point that Gambhir became the first coach in Indian cricket with football-style managerial authority. Senior players were phased out, from Ravichandran Ashwin to Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, ostensibly under the pretext of creating a fraternal atmosphere in the dressing room. Vibes and bluster don't make a good coach. Since October 2024, India have played nine Tests under Gambhir’s stewardship. They have lost seven, won just one.

This is a stackable performance, but Gambhir reportedly has the backing of the powers-that-be. A lack of on-field leadership was evident as India failed to defend 370 in the fourth innings in Leeds. As Ben Duckett toyed with the Indian bowling, Shubman Gill, the new Test captain, looked clueless. Help seemingly wasn't at hand from the dugout.

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In fact, it started in the lead-up to the series, when Harshit Rana was preferred over Anshul Kamboj, as an extra seamer was added to the Test squad. The latter impressed with his performances for India A and looked to be cut out for the English conditions. Rana hardly gave a good account of himself in Australia and his inclusion here defied logic.

The team selection for the first Test was also very questionable. Shardul Thakur was picked at the expense of Kuldeep Yadav. Despite a couple of facile scalps, the 33-year-old seamer, also Prasidh Krishna, stunk the place out with his overall performance. Kuldeep is India’s second-best wicket-taking option behind Jasprit Bumrah and irrespective of the conditions he should play. But it's Gambhir's team and he is said to have carte blanche to act as he wishes.

India lost in Leeds despite scoring 835 runs over two innings. Ahead of the series, at the pre-departure press conference, Gambhir had honked about the team having enough quality in their bowling attack besides Bumrah. The claim fell flat on its face.

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Sports is a result-oriented business. If India suffer another embarrassing series defeat in England, will the BCCI reassess Gambhir’s role? There has to be some accountability.

P. S. India dropped eight catches at Headingley and it was where the game was gone. The team, by the way, effectively has two fielding coaches – T Dilip and Ryan ten Doeschate. Gambhir’s coaching staff is not covering itself in glory either.