BCCI to review Gambhir, coaching staff after India’s T20I series defeats

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is set to review the performance of Gautam Gambhir and the rest of the coaching staff following India’s historic T20I series defeats, with the head coach being given a break from the three-match T20I series against Zimbabwe beginning July 23. India have now gone through six matches without posting a win in the format under new skipper Shreyas Iyer, losing to Ireland 2-0 and falling to England with the hosts taking an unassailable 3-0 lead with one match remaining.

The BCCI have scheduled a review meeting after India’s tour of England ends next week. Reports claim at least one member of Gambhir’s support staff is likely to leave the side, with one coach having already held discussions with an IPL franchise and potentially moving there in the coming months. The performance of other Indian coaches like Ryan ten Doeschate, Sitanshu Kotak, Sairaj Bahutule and Morne Morkel is also going to be analysed.

Gambhir, however, has defended the team’s reset strategy and said that the transition needs to be given some time.

“We just haven’t played well. There are a lot of changes from the XI that played the T20 World Cup final to now. There is no Hardik Pandya, there is no Jasprit Bumrah. When you go for that reset, it takes a bit of time. We ultimately look only at results, and no doubt results are important in international cricket, but we have to be practical as well,” Gambhir said at a post-match press conference, insisting that despite multiple setbacks, India do not become a bad team in a matter of four games.

Meanwhile, assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate pulled no punches after the team’s nine-wicket loss in Bristol. 

“We have spoken so much about adaptability, it’s easy to say we need to adapt, it’s easy to say but really it’s a point now where we need to understand the process, what is needed to make those adaptations,” ten Doeschate said in a press conference.

The former Netherlands all-rounder questioned whether the squad wants to just be a side that “smashes 250 in India and looks great hitting an 80-meter six at Eden Gardens,” or if they have the mental fortitude to graft for runs in challenging environments like Manchester and Southampton.

Former India batter and head of National Cricket Academy VVS Laxman is set to travel as head coach for the Zimbabwe series. Gambhir’s break from the Zimbabwe assignment marks a dramatic shift in Indian T20I management. After the fifth and final T20I on Saturday, Team India will take on England in a three-match ODI series ending on July 19, before the review process begins.

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