Gautam Gambhir continues to face unrelenting scrutiny over his Test coaching approach, with the South Africa whitewash only intensifying the pressure on him.
India’s red-ball strategy and planning have come under fire, with the growing preference for all-rounders over proven specialists drawing strong criticism after the move clearly backfired. The Proteas outplayed the hosts across the board, with their bowlers making smarter use of the conditions and their batters showing superior technique on the spin-friendly surfaces.
Meanwhile, Gambhir’s approach has worked impressively in white-ball cricket, guiding India to the Champions Trophy and Asia Cup titles. But he must acknowledge that the same formula isn’t translating to Test success. It’s crucial for him to rethink his strategy and make timely adjustments before the situation worsens.
Former South Africa captain AB de Villiers weighed in on the ongoing scrutiny surrounding Gambhir’s coaching style, offering a candid assessment of the former opener’s temperament and its potential impact on the Indian dressing room.
“Speaking on behalf of the Indian side, it’s really difficult. I don’t know what GG is like when it comes to leadership. I’ve known him as an emotional player and if that is the case in the change room, generally an emotional coach is not a good thing to have. But it’s not to say he’s that kind of a coach and the kind of leader behind the scenes,” De Villiers said in a chat with Ravichandran Ashwin on his YouTube Channel.
“India struggling in transition phase”
At this point, it seems that India have hit a roadblock in the transition period following the retirements of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Ravichandran Ashwin, with young players struggling to absorb the pressure in crucial situations. The skipper, coaching staff, and selection committee must work together to identify the ideal players to fill the key roles before it’s too late in this World Test Championship cycle.
The Proteas legend also addressed the broader debate around coaching styles and backgrounds, stressing that there’s no universal formula for what works in a dressing room. Highlighting how different players respond to different kinds of leadership, he said: “There’s no right and wrong. Some players will feel comfortable with a former player. Some players will be comfortable with a coach that’s never played the game before but he’s got a lot of years of experience of coaching the game.”