 "Gambhir reportedly could be demoted to India white-ball coach; BCCI grills Rohit and GG on NZ whitewash")
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) conducted a marathon six-hour meeting with Rohit Sharma and Gautam Gambhir in Mumbai on Friday following India's 0-3 whitewash at the hands of New Zealand on home soil earlier this month.
Besides the ignominy of getting whitewashed in a home Test series for only the second time, the BCCI also grilled Rohit and Gambhir on various other decisions including resting pacer Jasprit Bumrah for the Mumbai Test and picking a rank turner for the same game.
It has also been learned that head coach Gambhir’s job could be in danger if the Indian team suffers another lopsided defeat in the upcoming five-match Test series in Australia, which gets underway in Perth on 22 November.
Besides Rohit and Gambhir, chief selector Ajit Agarkar was also present in the meeting at the BCCI headquarters along with secretary Jay Shah and president Roger Binny. Gambhir, who had succeeded Rahul Dravid as head coach in July, joined the meeting virtually.
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“It was a six-hour marathon meeting, which was obviously on cards after such a debacle. India are going on a tour of Australia, and the BCCI would obviously like to ensure that the team is back on track and would like to know how the think-tank (Gambhir-Rohit-Agarkar) are going about it,” a senior BCCI source was quoted as telling Press Trust of India on conditions of anonymity.
Impact Shorts
More Shorts“Bumrah’s absence was discussed, although it was a precautionary move. Opting for a rank turner despite India not faring well on these tracks are some of the issues that came up for discussion,” the source added.
Also Read | Factors behind historic Test series defeat of Rohit Sharma and Co
According to The Times of India, the selection committee was not informed about Bumrah not playing the Mumbai Test, which India lost by 25 runs despite collecting a first innings lead, and the communication gap between the Indian team management and the Agarkar-led selection panel was brought to the board’s notice in the meeting.
“It appears the selectors were not informed about Bumrah’s sudden exit before the Test, and this communication gap was highlighted to the BCCI leadership. There needs to be better communication all around. All must be on the same page,” a source was quoted as saying in the report.
Gambhir’s job in danger?
Gambhir hasn’t been having a great time as India head coach, which came shortly after he successfully mentored the Kolkata Knight Riders to their third IPL title in May. Besides suffering their first Test series defeat at home in over a decade, the Men in Blue also lost the ODI series in Sri Lanka 0-2 – the first time they had lost a series against the Lankans in the 50-over format since 1997.
And just four months after bagging the head coach’s role, Gambir reportedly finds his job on the line with the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy Down Under likely to decide his future with the Indian team.
According to Dainik Jagran, a similar defeat in Australia could result in the former India opener Gambhir being removed from the Test format entirely and being named Men in Blue head coach for the ODI and T20I formats. In that scenario, National Cricket Academy director VVS Laxman, Gambhir’s former teammate, could be asked to fill in as Test coach on a full time basis.
Also Read | Gambhir’s contract as India head coach runs until 2027, but his future hinges on upcoming series
Laxman had filled in for Dravid on a number of occasions during the latter’s two-and-a-half-year reign as head coach, which ended with India winning the T20 World Cup in the US and the Caribbean.
The stylish former middle-order batter is currently serving as interim coach for India’s four-match T20I series in South Africa, in which the Suryakumar Yadav-led side went 1-0 up with a commanding victory in Durban on Friday.
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