Gautam Gambhir’s wings clipped; Virat Kohli’s handling scrutinized after India and Australia Tests
Mohammad Kaif has questioned Gautam Gambhir’s tactical acumen as India’s head coach, especially in dealing with Virat Kohli’s ongoing problems with the bat in Test cricket. Kaif suggested that Gambhir may not have had time to work on Kohli’s technical shortcomings, but his main responsibility should be the right team selection.
The former Indian cricketer said that his former teammate Gautam Gambhir may not yet have reached that stage of ordering Virat Kohli about changes in his batting technique. Kohli and his ongoing tough phase has been a hot topic of discussion among the cricketing fraternity for the past few months.
Mohammad Kaif questions Gautam Gambhir’s ability to handle Virat Kohli’s slump
India’s batting maestro was thrown out of gear during the five-match Test series in Australia, raising questions about his technique and the role of the Indian coaches, as has been repeated. Notably, Virat Kohli could only score 190 runs in the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, despite starting the series with a century in the Perth Test.
Kohli’s stats in the ongoing 2024-25 season are more than worrying in Test cricket as the former India captain has so far managed just 382 runs in 10 matches at an average of 22.87 with the help of eight centuries and a fifty, leading to growing calls for his expulsion from the team.
Gambhir was not on the cutting edge of tactics: Mohammad Kaif
Meanwhile, apart from questioning his role in Virat Kohli’s downfall, Mohammed Kaif said Gautam Gambhir was a huge failure as a coach during the recent tour of Australia and his tactical decisions were ordinary. He emphasized that a good coach knows how to pick the right 11 based on the conditions and the opponent, especially when facing a tough team like Australia.
Mohammad Kaif said in a video posted on his X handle, “The best coach is the one who is tactically superior. He should know how to pick the right XI according to the conditions. Which way they go against a team like Australia is the coach’s job.”
“The rest, like solving Virat Kohli’s technical problems, may not be possible because he may not have got that time yet. ‘Boss, do this’ to solve your batting problems. Maybe Gambhir has not reached that stage yet. He would need more time . But Gambhir was not on top of his tactics.”
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Mohammad Kaif questions India’s tactical decisions on Australia tour
Furthermore, Mohammad Kaif questioned Gambhir as to where exactly the Indian cricket team faltered in Australia. He also sought an explanation for the non-selection of Ravindran Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin for the Perth Test.
The former Indian cricketer further remarked, “We won the first Test thanks to Bumrah, but these are tactical mistakes that he has to correct in the future.” Lastly, Kaif, one of India’s best fielders, questioned some of the selection decisions made by the Indian cricket team management during the Test series in Australia.
He questioned the selection of Dhruv Jurel for the first Test, which was later dropped, and the dismissal of Sarfaraz Khan. Kaif also criticized India’s decision to pick Harshit Rana over Prasidh Krishna, who he believed would be more suited to Australian conditions due to his ability to hit the deck hard.
Virat can come back,
Bumrah is no match for the Indian team captain.
Gautam Gambhir is not the tactical coach India needs.
What is the way forward for Team India?#BGT #CricketwithKaif11 pic.twitter.com/7FUrwgFwIm— Mohammad Kaif (@MohammadKaif) January 8, 2025
