Gautam Gambhir wants full control of Team India, only Jasprit Bumrah can stop that, Shubman Gill can't question: Report

[rollingstoned]

Gautam Gambhir wants full control of Team India, only Jasprit Bumrah can stop that, Shubman Gill can't question: Report

Shubman Gill may be pitted as a future superstar but he still hasn't reached that stage where he can challenge head coach Gautam Gambhir's calls.

India's coach Gautam Gambhir, left, Rohit Sharma, second left, Jasprit Bumrah attend a practice session(AP)

 

After the retirement of captain Rohit Sharma and star batter Virat Kohli from Test cricket, India head coach Gautam Gambhir has reportedly asked the BCCI for full control of the team's proceedings. According to a Dainik Jagran report, Gambhir came into the setup with the idea of ending the superstar culture of Indian cricket. His first move was to come up with the 10-point diktat, forcing all players to feature in domestic cricket whenever available and behave in a certain way when on tours. The second phase was to build a side for the future.

 

 

 

Gambhir reportedly was instrumental in phasing out Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli from Test cricket. The dynamic duo announced their retirement in quick succession, a week before India's squad selection for the England tour, after Gambhir and chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar informed them about the team management's plans to go ahead with a younger squad.

 

This is the first instance of a head coach playing an active role in the phasing out of two of the biggest stars of an Indian cricket team. Historically, Indian teams have been run by their captains. Coaches, no matter how big a name they are, have always stayed backstage, allowing the big players to take the lead. Take the recent examples of Ravi Shastri and Rahul Dravid. They were always associates of captains Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, rarely trying to challenge their authority.

The report claimed that Gambhir's case was different. He had as much say in policy-making, squad selection, and other team-related matters as the captain, and now that Rohit, Kohli, and Ravichandran Ashwin have all retired, he is likely to be the one calling the shots.

"In order to stop a repeat of the home-series defeat against New Zealand and the debacle in Australia, Gambhir has requested the board for full autonomy," the report added.

Only Bumrah could have challenged Gambhir's calls, not Shubman Gill

The report further adds that he would have a captain in Shubman Gill, who is likely to listen to him as he is still young. He may be pitted as a future superstar but he still hasn't reached that stage where he can challenge Gambhir's calls. The only cricketer in the current Indian Test side who perhaps could have countered Gambhir's tactics and that is pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah.

Notably, Bumrah would have been an automatic choice to captain the Test side had his fitness not been a major concern. Bumrah was the designated vice-captain in Rohit Sharma's tenure and has even led India in three Tests in England and Australia. But because he is too precious as fast bowler and his workload needs to be managed, it was not possible to give him full-time captaincy.

Therefore, Gambhir is likely to be the primo-supremo of the Indian Test side even if Gill is appointed the captain.

[rollingstoned]

Gambhir wanted new faces for next WTC cycle, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli's fate was sealed after Australia tour: Report

As per a report, head coach Gautam Gambhir wanted fresh faces for the next WTC cycle and as a result, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli's fate was sealed. 

Both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have retired from Tests ahead of England tour. (PTI)

Virat Kohli, the biggest superstar in the current Indian cricket setup, decided to call time on his Test career on Monday as he announced his retirement from the longest format of the game. The 36-year-old's decision comes days after Rohit Sharma's announcement of stepping away from Tests. The duo had a disastrous tour of Australia, where India lost 1-3. Runs were hard to come by for both, and ever since the tour came to an end, there was chatter of the management wanting to look past the duo and go in with fresh faces for the five-match series against England.

 

 

 

As per a report by news agency PTI, India head coach Gautam Gambhir wanted fresh faces for the new World Test Championship (WTC) cycle beginning with the upcoming five-match series against England. As a result, the fate of Rohit and Virat was sealed after the disastrous tour of Australia.

Under Gautam Gambhir, India lost back-to-back series against New Zealand (home) and Australia (away), resulting in India not making the WTC final for the very first time.

With Rohit, Virat and Ravichandran Ashwin gone, there aren't many superstars left inside the Indian dressing room, and Gambhir might just gain full control. He might very well become the first India head coach who could have more power than the skipper. The same PTI report states that Gambhir's biggest objective is to remove the star culture within the team.

Gambhir also got the support of Ajit Agarkar, the chairman of selectors, as the duo saw fit to have fresh faces for the England tour and the next WTC cycle.

"The Gautam Gambhir era begins now. He was categorical that during the next WTC cycle, India need to have fresh faces," PTI quoted a BCCI source as saying.

 

"Everyone associated with decision-making knew where Gambhir stood in terms of carrying seniors in the longest format. Obviously, his and chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar's thoughts aligned," the source added.

Shubman Gill frontrunner to be the next captain

Shubman Gill is the frontrunner to be the next India Test captain. Jasprit Bumrah led the side in Rohit Sharma's absence in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. But looking at his workload management, it is unlikely that the pacer will be given a leadership role in the coming future.

The report also states that Gambhir wanted the Indian cricket board to empower him so that there is no debacle like the New Zealand series and the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia.

However, all is easier said than done. The results now need to come by for Gambhir. If the series against England goes south, questions will arise regarding the former India opener's ability to manage the Test team. 

The series might just be make or break for Gambhir in terms of being the red-ball coach. The side is expected to have a lot of youngsters and it needs to be seen who fills the space of Rohit and Kohli in the playing XI. 

[rollingstoned]

Gambhir advised to tread carefully, stick to his decision after Kohli, Rohit retire: 'He becomes the most important now'

With Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli having retired from Tests, the onus is now on Gautam Gambhir to prepare an Indian team for the future.

Gautam Gambhir, left, has to prepare India for a life without Rohit Sharma, centre and Virat Kohli(AFP)

 

Much like the case 12 years ago, Indian cricket, especially the Test team, finds itself at the crossroads. The era, the pillars that helped India thrive over the last decade and more, have stood down. Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravichandran Ashwin have all retired; Ishant Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Umesh Yadav are no longer in the picture. Ravindra Jadeja is the last remaining chip off the old block. To a certain extent, even Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah are, but it's obviously not the same.

 

 

 

The transition phase is here. With Gautam Gambhir as head coach, India will usher in a new direction in the new World Test Championship cycle, starting with a five-match series against England, of which none of the superstars from the past will be part. This means that the ball is now entirely in Gambhir's court. With an eye towards the future, the road ahead will be full of youngsters attempting to fill the void left behind by these legends.

Shubman Gill is likely going to be the next Test captain of India, with Rishabh Pant his deputy. Pant, already a Test great with successes in Australia, South Africa and England, is the perfect foil to Gill. He may not have enjoyed a great tour of Australia, but this is where Gambhir's role becomes all the more crucial. He has his blueprint ready, and with the chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar in the same boat, Gambhir's part in this whole thing is the most crucial of them all, reports The Times of India.

"Gambhir becomes the most important person here. He has to give confidence to the players. The first thing he needs to do is understand the new captain, the vision he has and the brand of cricket he wants the team to play," Saba Karim, the former BCCI national selector, told TOI.

"Gambhir has clear ideas about how he wants his team to approach a game. But he needs to be the man who empowers players and creates leaders in the team. I'm sure he will back someone like Rishabh Pant, who hit a rough patch in Australia, and give him more confidence on the upcoming, tough tour of England," said another former national selector, Devang Gandhi.

 

Batting isn't India's only concern

With Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rishabh Pant being the only guaranteed picks in India's Test XI, the likes of Abhimanyu Easwaran, Sai Sudharsan, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel and more can knock on the selectors' doors. However, batting isn't the only concern. Fast bowling required equal attention. Mohammed Shami's fitness has cast a shadow over his future, and Bumrah's tryst with injuries is well documented. In the mid 2010s, under Kohli, Ravi Shastri and Bharat Arun, India assembled a five-prong pace attack capable of taking 20 wickets anywhere in the world, and Gambhir needs to ensure he and the rest of his coaching staff don't drop the ball on this one.

"Those bowlers, including Bhuvneshwar Kumar, were identified for the longer run. They initially struggled to bowl out opposition batters even overseas. But the idea was to zero in on a pool of bowlers and keep working with them. Credit must go to Kohli for turning things around when he decided to play five bowlers in Tests. That regulated the workload of the pacers and became a metric going forward. Similarly, if you have identified the likes of Harshit Rana, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep and Arshdeep, then stick with the pool," added Karim.

[Gollum]

GG is never going to work in tests, he is more of a white ball guy. 

 

No idea how he survived after the NZ whitewash and spineless display in BGT.

[diga]

hope a-tours resume and it will serve as a feeder to the main team... maybe we can find a role for Ashwin to manage the next set of juniors

[rollingstoned]

1 hour ago, Gollum said:

GG is never going to work in tests, he is more of a white ball guy. 

 

No idea how he survived after the NZ whitewash and spineless display in BGT.

He hs gotten an ageing team tbh since he took over.  I want to give him a year and see how our future team shapes up. We need to groom a lot of players, only keeping position looks sorted.

Edited May 15, 2025 by rollingstoned

[Lord]

Wanting full control is never a great sign. Another Chappell seems like

[G_B_]

Right call to phase them out.

 

 

[New guy]

3 hours ago, rollingstoned said:

He hs gotten an ageing team tbh since he took over.  I want to give him a year and see how our future team shapes up. We need to groom a lot of players, only keeping position looks sorted.

If he is behind Gill as a captain, not much hope from him.

[janhfyz]

5 hours ago, rollingstoned said:

Gambhir advised to tread carefully, stick to his decision after Kohli, Rohit retire: 'He becomes the most important now'

With Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli having retired from Tests, the onus is now on Gautam Gambhir to prepare an Indian team for the future.

Gautam Gambhir, left, has to prepare India for a life without Rohit Sharma, centre and Virat Kohli(AFP)

 

Much like the case 12 years ago, Indian cricket, especially the Test team, finds itself at the crossroads. The era, the pillars that helped India thrive over the last decade and more, have stood down. Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravichandran Ashwin have all retired; Ishant Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Umesh Yadav are no longer in the picture. Ravindra Jadeja is the last remaining chip off the old block. To a certain extent, even Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah are, but it's obviously not the same.

 

 

 

The transition phase is here. With Gautam Gambhir as head coach, India will usher in a new direction in the new World Test Championship cycle, starting with a five-match series against England, of which none of the superstars from the past will be part. This means that the ball is now entirely in Gambhir's court. With an eye towards the future, the road ahead will be full of youngsters attempting to fill the void left behind by these legends.

Shubman Gill is likely going to be the next Test captain of India, with Rishabh Pant his deputy. Pant, already a Test great with successes in Australia, South Africa and England, is the perfect foil to Gill. He may not have enjoyed a great tour of Australia, but this is where Gambhir's role becomes all the more crucial. He has his blueprint ready, and with the chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar in the same boat, Gambhir's part in this whole thing is the most crucial of them all, reports The Times of India.

"Gambhir becomes the most important person here. He has to give confidence to the players. The first thing he needs to do is understand the new captain, the vision he has and the brand of cricket he wants the team to play," Saba Karim, the former BCCI national selector, told TOI.

"Gambhir has clear ideas about how he wants his team to approach a game. But he needs to be the man who empowers players and creates leaders in the team. I'm sure he will back someone like Rishabh Pant, who hit a rough patch in Australia, and give him more confidence on the upcoming, tough tour of England," said another former national selector, Devang Gandhi.

 

Batting isn't India's only concern

With Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rishabh Pant being the only guaranteed picks in India's Test XI, the likes of Abhimanyu Easwaran, Sai Sudharsan, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel and more can knock on the selectors' doors. However, batting isn't the only concern. Fast bowling required equal attention. Mohammed Shami's fitness has cast a shadow over his future, and Bumrah's tryst with injuries is well documented. In the mid 2010s, under Kohli, Ravi Shastri and Bharat Arun, India assembled a five-prong pace attack capable of taking 20 wickets anywhere in the world, and Gambhir needs to ensure he and the rest of his coaching staff don't drop the ball on this one.

"Those bowlers, including Bhuvneshwar Kumar, were identified for the longer run. They initially struggled to bowl out opposition batters even overseas. But the idea was to zero in on a pool of bowlers and keep working with them. Credit must go to Kohli for turning things around when he decided to play five bowlers in Tests. That regulated the workload of the pacers and became a metric going freehit eu. Similarly, if you have identified the likes of Harshit Rana, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep and Arshdeep, then stick with the pool," added Karim.

The era of legends is almost gone now. It;s time for the young generation to engrave their names. Although, the sudden retirement by King Kohli and Hitman Rohit seems to be due to politics inside the dressing room. We would love to see them for the last time in England Tour, but i guess BCCI will not reconsider them.  Looking forward, i guess Gambhir is doing the right thing as the new team will have to focus on the next World Test Championship cycle for which these new players need confidence and experience. The New Prine era is begin now! Good Luck Team India.

[goose]

is this a report, an editorial, an interview, a leak, or what? source this reportedly that. so dodgy

[goose]

unless shami is fit we are going to get demolished

[Zero_Unit]

Please show him the door. Was never a fan of him when he played, small dude with way over the head attitude/agression - not in a good way. And now acting like Kim Jong Un

[Serpico]

Well he cannot hide behind seniors now, he will be fully exposed to whatever results we get in the next 6 months 

[adi B]

GG did well to kick these non performing seniors out .

Let's not get emotional here ,these Seniors were acting like leeches and they thought this team was their Bapauti!

Kohli and Rohit were big Egomaniacs ,Good to see them retire ,I am not a fan of any individual, I only care for Team India !

I trust GG in this case ,don't know weather he'll succeed or not but his intentions are spot on here, Der aaye Durust aaye !

[jf1gp_1]

Indian media and fans have started to sound like Pakistani media now 

[Gollum]

17 hours ago, adi B said:

GG did well to kick these non performing seniors out .

Let's not get emotional here ,these Seniors were acting like leeches and they thought this team was their Bapauti!

Kohli and Rohit were big Egomaniacs ,Good to see them retire ,I am not a fan of any individual, I only care for Team India !

I trust GG in this case ,don't know weather he'll succeed or not but his intentions are spot on here, Der aaye Durust aaye !

That's ok but the way he is pushing for Gill is not good. It seems BCCI is not keen on making Gill captain, but GG is being stubborn. Gill should first cement his place in the XI, what has he done in test cricket to deserve such a big honor? Even Shardul Thakur is a better batsman than him in overseas tests. 

Edited May 17, 2025 by Gollum

[crictime]

Gill should not be in the test team given his performance right now. 

[Serpico]

15 hours ago, Gollum said:

That's ok but the way he is pushing for Gill is not good. It seems BCCI is not keen on making Gill captain, but GG is being stubborn. Gill should first cement his place in the XI, what has he done in test cricket to deserve such a big honor? Even Shardul Thakur is a better batsman than him in overseas tests. 

Being a captain will only expose gill more, its a good move. Gill's failures were always hidden behind ro-ko and KL, but once he becomes captain, every innings will be seen in microscope. Indian test captaincy has been a revolving door anyway, since Virat gave it up. It will not grant Gill any immunity 

[Throwaib_Chuckter]

On 5/15/2025 at 9:43 PM, goose said:

is this a report, an editorial, an interview, a leak, or what? source this reportedly that. so dodgy

An opinion piss in the wind.....