Gautam Gambhir leads the management of the men in blue, and a new innings in Indian cricketing history is all set to roll. This happened when Rahul Dravid moved out right after the T20 World Cup. This is the most drastic change ever made in the Indian cricket scenario when it comes to cricket management.
GG is well known for his leadership with the Kolkata Knight Riders and has taken over the leadership of Team India at the instruction of the Board of Control for Cricket. With further board deliberations, he was hired for this crucial transition in coaching policy to revive the dynamics and performance of cricket players for Team India.
Gambhir Faces Staff Setback Ahead of Sri Lanka Tour
Gambhir’s plans to build up his support staff were shattered since most of the people that he proposed were not cleared by the BCCI. While Abhishek Nayar was expected to be approved for an assistant coach’s role, the BCCI’s decision comes as a big surprise and perhaps opens up a scramble to find last-minute coaching support. Therefore, it was one of the first few challenges that Gambhir faced in his new coaching role.
Next in line is the tour of Sri Lanka for T20Is and ODIs. So, in that respect, this series happened to be the first major assignment signed up by Gambhir ever since he took charge as the head coach, and it would be a good opportunity to see how his strategic vision and coaching philosophy would shape up the team’s performance.
Suryakumar Yadav will be taking charge of the Indian T20I team on this tour after Rohit Sharma retires from this format. This ODI series will be almost like preparation for the ICC Champions Trophy coming up next year. He was asked to close his support staff by the board before the departure date. Now Gambhir will have to make do with the coaches from the NCA. The BCCI is floating the name of Troy Cooley, a fine former Australian and currently a coach with the NCA, as the temporary bowling coach.
Gambhir Steps Up as Indian Team Heads to Pallekele
Within these changing dynamics, the Indian team will be leaving for Pallekele on July 22. Before the team starts its journey, the BCCI will formally introduce Gambhir as the head coach and later have an interaction with the media to outline what, in his vision and plans, lies in store for the forthcoming challenge. Noting some of the successes of the team recently, in fact, under the captaincy of Shubman Gill and the mentorship of VVS Laxman, was a 4-1 win for a series of T20Is during their recent time in Zimbabwe.
With the coaching staff situation changing with each passing minute, the addition of Troy Cooley might only be for one series, which could change the prospects of the team’s future. For now, they will have to concentrate on the immediate task in Colombo, where the ODI series becomes important to their Champions Trophy aspirations. Gambhir’s ability to see through and win these big challenges will be the precursor to what is in store under his captaincy.
As Gautam Gambhir starts the new chapter for Indian cricket, experts of cricket watch this space and wait for how much his head for strategies and leadership touches the soul of the team to change its dynamics and, of course, performance. This is an exciting phase in the cricketing journey of the nation.
