Gautam Gambhir's tenure as the head coach of the Indian cricket team will be reassessed if the national team fails to make it in the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025. However, Gambhir's contract runs until the 2027 World Cup, but looks like the BCCI is paying close attention. on the performance of the new coach and will receive a call accordingly.
A senior BCCI official has claimed that Gautam Gambhir's position as India's head coach is not guaranteed if the Men in Blue fail to deliver a convincing result in the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025. He said that Gambhir has not produced any significant results to impress board.
Gautam Gambhir's job is in jeopardy if India fail in ICC Champions Trophy 2025
Notably, the Indian cricket team has lost six out of 10 Test matches and a bilateral ODI series against Sri Lanka since Gambhir took over from Rahul Dravid after the ICC T20 World Cup 2024.
A senior BCCI source told PTI, “If India does not do well in the Champions Trophy, the head coach's position might become untenable. Yes, his contract runs until the 2027 World Cup, but the evaluation process continues. Sport is result oriented and so far Gambhir has not given any tangible result.”
Meanwhile, the BCCI has already reviewed India's performance in the recent Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 in Australia and during the meeting it emerged that there are differences between Gautam Gambhir and the senior players regarding the team's culture.
Gautam Gambhir is on a mission to end the 'superstar culture' in Indian cricket
Gambhir is determined to end the 'superstar culture' that has been a part of Indian cricket for years. A source highlighted the Indian coach's no-nonsense approach, recalling how the former Kolkata Knight Riders captain left Brendon McCullum out of the IPL final despite his star status in 2012.
However, Gambhir's approach of prioritizing team performance over individual status has irked some senior players. It is also said that the Indian coach was not happy that some senior players made specific requests regarding hotels and training schedule in the Australia tour.
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The source also said, “Gambhir wants to end the superstar culture that has been prevalent for so many years. As the captain of Kolkata Knight Riders in 2012, he withdrew Brendon McCullum from the playing XI for the IPL final against CSK. He came here to dismantle the superstar culture, and that made some members who play uncomfortable.”
Why was Gambhir PA sitting in the car specified for the national selectors? BCCI Questions
On the other hand, BCCI is reportedly upset with the constant presence of Gambhir's personal assistant accompanying the coach throughout the Australian tour. The BCCI official criticized the way Gambhir's PA was using the facilities for team members.
The BCCI official signed off saying, “Why was his PA in the car specified for the national selectors? I can't even discuss things privately with an unknown third person in the car. Why was he allotted space in the BCCI hospitality box in Adelaide? How did he eat breakfast in the secluded area of a five-star facility that's just for team members?”