Sunil Gavaskarformer Indian cricket captain, has criticized the coaches led by Gautam Gambhir following India's disappointing 3-1 defeat to Australia in the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The series ended with a six-wicket defeat at the Sydney Cricket Ground on January 5, which resulted in a setback for Rohit Sharma's Team India, who not only lost the trophy but also failed to qualify for the World Test Championship finals.
Sunil Gavaskar takes a dig at the Indian coaches
Speaking passionately during a telecast on Star Sports, Gavaskar questioned the effectiveness of the coaching staff, which includes the batting coach. Abhishek Nayar is a bowling coach Morne Morkel. He expressed his frustration by asking, “What was your teacher doing?” it also highlights the challenges faced by the Indian batsmen, especially Kohli's repeated dismissals outside the off-stump. Gavaskar also said that despite the chances of success, the team's performance does not show any progress.
Gavaskar's comments were made mainly about the team's failure, referring to India's record collapse of just 46 runs against New Zealand earlier in the series. He said, “Our batting wasn't good enough… Why don't we see any improvement?” The criticism comes after Gambhir took over as the head coach following India's triumph in the 2024 T20 World Cup, where he brought in his former IPL teammates as one of the assistants.
“Should we change coaches?”: Gavaskar
The legendary cricketer emphasized that while good bowling can challenge even the best batsmen, at times the Indian batsmen were seen throwing away their wickets against formidable bowling threats. He said that maybe it is time to rethink not only the tactics of the players but also the coaches themselves for the upcoming tour of India to England.
With just a few months to go before this crucial series, Gavaskar has called for immediate action and a change in style and behavior among the players. He said, “You can ask if we change the batting order; I ask if we change the coaches?”
#SunilGavaskar he shares his insightful thoughts on how Indian educators can fall short during the education process #BorderGavaskarTrophy. 🇮🇳⚡#AUSvINDonStar #Tough Competition #AUSWIN pic.twitter.com/pHwnD3UyWR
– Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) January 5, 2025
Gavaskar's criticism reflects India's growing concern in Test cricket. As the team prepares for future challenges, including an important trip to England, it remains to be seen how they will tackle the challenge and whether changes will be made within the coaching system.