Gautam Gambhir’s future as head coach in doubt? BCCI may reassess after Champions Trophy 2025: Report

Weeks after Team India’s dismal Test performance and loss against New Zealand as well as Australia in the Border Gavaskar trophy, it appears job of India head coach Gautam Gambhir may be in danger.

According to a report by news agency PTI, Gambhir’s position as coach will be ‘revaluated’ based on India’s performance in the ICC Champions Trophy beginning 19 February 2025. The following development has arrived at a time over discontent in the dressing room due to his push to dismantle the long-prevalent ‘superstar culture’ in the team.

In case Team India puts up a dismal show in the Champions Trophy, the head coach’s position could become untenable, PTI quoted a BCCI source as saying.

“If India doesn’t do well in the Champions Trophy, the head coach’s position could become untenable. Yes, his contract runs till the 2027 World Cup but the process of evaluation continues. Sport is result-oriented and till now, Gambhir hasn’t given any tangible results,” he told PTI.

Gambhir as Team India coach:

The Indian team has failed to taste success in six out of 10 Tests, after Gambhir took over as coach. Also, in 2024, Sri Lanka stunned the Men in Blue in the bilateral ODI series.

Ever since Gambhir took over as head coach in July 2024 after Rahul Dravid’s tenure, Team India’s performance has not been upto the level.

Gambhir’s issue with superstar culture has long been known and he trying dismantle the same with Team India have rang warning bells.

Gambhir and superstar culture:

“Gambhir wants to end the superstar culture that has been prevalent for so many years now. In IPL 2012, as Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain, he had dropped Brendon McCullum from the playing XI for the final match against CSK. He has come here to dismantle the superstar culture and that’s what has caused discomfort for some playing members,” the source said.

Elaborating on how Gambhir doesn’t want the ‘star culture’ to breed, the source said, “Once, as Delhi Ranji captain, Gambhir decided that they will play home matches at the Roshanara Ground in Delhi North-West where the pitches were green-top. But one huge superstar, who was also out of the Indian team, wanted to play the games at the Jamia Milia Islamia ground, which was closer to his south Delhi residence. Gambhir turned him down. Similarly, in the Indian team, he doesn’t want star culture to breed,” he added.

Meanwhile, as Gambhir is not pleased with Team India’s performance in Australia, few senior players have felt a lack of communication from his end. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is already reviewing Team India’s performance in Australia.

Similarities with Greg Chappell:

Among al the concerns, an ex-selector compared Gambhir’s approach as a coach to that of former coach Greg Chappell and said that the ‘Chappell Way’ doesn’t work in India. “Either you be like a Ravi Shastri, who would be media-friendly, give those sound bites propping up players making them look like alpha males,” he said.

“Or be like Rahul Dravid, Gary Kirsten or John Wright, who would remain aloof, letting the players hog the limelight. The ‘Chappell Way’ doesn’t work in India. Gambhirs or Shastris or Dravids will go but players will stay,” the former selector said.

Apart from this, the BCCI brass also appears upset with how Gambhir’s personal assistant shadowed the team everywhere in Australia. “Why was his PA sitting in the car specified for national selectors? They can’t even discuss things in private with an unknown third person in the car. Why was he allotted space in the BCCI’s hospitality box in Adelaide,” a BCCI official said.

“How did he have breakfast in the cordoned off area of a five-star facility which is just earmarked for the team members?” the displeased official asked.