 "Gautam Gambhir may host Team India for dinner at his Delhi home. Image: Gambhir-X/AFP")
Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir will reportedly host a dinner at his residence in New Delhi for the Shubman Gill-led Test team ahead of the second match against West Indies at Arun Jaitley Stadium. The upcoming Test between India and the West Indies is scheduled to take place from October 10 to 14.
According to news agency ANI, Gambhir is planning to invite his entire team for a dinner at his lavish bungalow in the Old Rajinder Nagar area on Wednesday, October 8. As per the report, Gambhir wants to host the informal meeting in the garden area of his home to make it an open-air gathering, but if it rains in New Delhi tomorrow, the dinner may be cancelled.
This is the first time Gambhir is hosting the team at his residence since becoming head coach last year. Gambhir and his coaching staff are coming off a fresh Asia Cup title win , with some of the players in this Test series also part of that tournament. Shubman Gill was the vice-captain, Kuldeep Yadav was a standout performer, while Axar Patel and Jasprit Bumrah also played crucial roles.
Major changes in ODI setup
Gambhir also won the ICC Champions Trophy earlier this year with Rohit Sharma as captain. The BCCI recently announced India’s ODI squad for the upcoming tour of Australia, with Rohit removed as skipper and Shubman Gill handed the mantle , while Shreyas Iyer has been named vice-captain. Rohit, however, remains part of the squad along with veteran Virat Kohli.
Rohit’s removal as captain stirred a debate among fans and experts, but it shows the selectors are now looking at Gill as a long-term option in all three formats. Rohit and Kohli, on the other hand, may have to prove their form and fitness to continue playing until the next ODI World Cup in 2027 . Ravindra Jadeja has been axed and there is no news about Mohammed Shami’s return for now.
Gambhir must prove his coaching credentials in Test cricket
Meanwhile, Gambhir still has much to prove as a red-ball coach, given that India suffered a historic home whitewash against New Zealand last year and failed to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. As a result of these setbacks, India were knocked out of the World Test Championship (WTC) final for the first time.
However, Gambhir and his revamped Indian side showed resilience in England in July–August this year, managing to draw a five-match series to kick off the new WTC cycle. Their ongoing Test series against the West Indies already looks like a done deal, given how poorly the Caribbean side has performed over the past couple of decades.