India head coach Gautam Gambhir has faced criticism from all quarters after the team's dismal performance in the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Gambhir's methods of leading the team and selecting the players have come under scrutiny.
Recently, he got support from the legendary all-rounder Kapil Dev. Kapil feels that it is the responsibility of the captain and the team to do well on the field and the coach does not have much role in it.
The former India cop also compared Gambhir's work style to that of Ravi Shastri and Rahul Dravid. He believes that every coach has his own way of working that he tries to implement during his tenure.
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Kapil Dev defends Gautam Gambhir
While talking to Gulf News, Kapil Dev spoke about Gautam Gambhir's tenure as India's head coach so far. Kapil feels that the coaches are not for what happens on the field as the captain and the team are mostly involved in that.
“The expectations are high. The coaches are not on the field, but the captain and the team are on the ground. A new coach will come out with his own ideas and hopefully he will serve the country in a better way. If it is not, then people will raise their finger,” remarked Kapil.
India's performance in the Test series against Australia was far from satisfactory. The batsmen failed miserably against the world-class Australian bowling attack while the bowling looked inexperienced apart from Jasprit Bumrah who was the main performer of the series.
Kapil Dev compares Gautam Gambhir with Rahul Dravid, Ravi Shastri
Kapil Dev further compared Gautam Gambhir's coaching style with the methods of former Indian coaches Ravi Shastri and Rahul Dravid. Kapil believes that Gambhir is a temperamental person and has his own ways of dealing with certain things.
“(Gautam) Gambhir is a slightly temperamental person. He is different from Ravi Shastri and Rahul Dravid. Every coach has his own way of thinking so let's hope he does better for the country,” added Kapil.
Ravi Shastri is known as a great motivator and India has achieved several heights under his tenure. With Shastri as the head coach, India won two Test series in Australia, which is no mean feat.
Meanwhile, Rahul Dravid is a man who likes to take it easy. Dravid liked to keep things under control and followed a process to lead a team. In his tenure, India won the 2024 T20 World Cup and also finished as runners-up in the 2023 ODI World Cup.
Gautam Gambhir's tenure so far
Gautam Gambhir's tenure as India's head coach has not been without problems so far. The Men in Blue lost an ODI series in Sri Lanka after a gap of 27 years. A few months ago, India lost a Test series to New Zealand by a margin of 0-3.
It was India's first Test series defeat at home in 12 years and ended an incredible run. After the series against New Zealand, India lost to Australia in the away Test series even after winning the first Test.