If Gautam Gambhir wins in Australia, he may no longer be needed as Team India's head coach

New Delhi: The Indian cricket team, captained by Rohit Sharma, suffered a disappointing 0-3 defeat in the recent Test series against New Zealand. This marks the first time in 24 years that the Indian team has been whitewashed in a Test series at home. The last time this happened was in the year 2000 when India faced a 0-2 defeat in a two-match series against South Africa. Looking ahead, the Indian team is now gearing up for a challenging tour of Australia, where they will be playing a five-match Test series against the host team starting from 22 November. India will be looking to bounce back and put up a strong performance in what promises to be an exciting series.

This Test series is also very important for the Indian team in terms of qualification for the World Test Championship (WTC) final. If the Indian team wins the Test series against Australia by 4-0, then it will definitely reach the final. However, doing so will not be easy. India will have to give its best to defeat Australia.

…so will Gautam Gambhir be fired?

If the performance of the Indian team remains poor in Australia then Gambhir will be removed from the post of head coach in Test cricket. Gambhir is currently the head coach of the Indian team in all three formats. This claim has been made in a report in a daily newspaper. In Test cricket, a veteran like VVS Laxman can be made the head coach, while Gautam Gambhir can remain the head coach of the white ball team.

6-hour review meeting held by BCCI:

On the other hand, according to the report of the news agency PTI, a review meeting was held by the BCCI after the crushing defeat against New Zealand, BCCI secretary Jay Shah and president Roger Binny were also present along with captain Rohit Sharma, chief selector Ajit Agarkar and head coach Gambhir. Questions were asked about some of the decisions taken by the team management during the New Zealand series. There was also a discussion about Gambhir’s coaching style, which is very different from the previous head coach Rahul Dravid.

A senior BCCI source said, ‘It was a six-hour marathon meeting which was decided after such a defeat. The Indian team is going on a tour of Australia and the BCCI would like to ensure that the team is back on track. Also, it would like to know what Gambhir-Rohit-Agarkar are thinking about this.’ BCCI officials were not happy that fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah was rested for the third Test and why the team opted for a ‘rank turner’ after losing on a turning track in Pune.

The source said, ‘Bumrah’s absence was discussed. However, it was a precautionary step. Opting for a ‘rank turner’ despite India not performing well on these pitches was an issue that was discussed.’ All-rounder Nitish Reddy and fast bowler Harshit Rana were not selected unanimously. The Indian team will leave for Australia in two batches on November 10 and 11.

Indian team for Test series against Australia: Rohit Sharma (captain), Jasprit Bumrah (vice-captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper), Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (wicketkeeper), R. Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar.

Travelling Reserve: Mukesh Kumar, Navdeep Saini, Khaleel Ahmed.

Indian team tour of Australia (November-January 2025):

22-26 November: First Test, Perth

6-10 December: Second Test, Adelaide

14-18 December: Third Test, Brisbane

26-30 December: Fourth Test, Melbourne

03-07 January: Fifth Test, Sydney