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"Gambhir wants to dismantle superstar culture, causing discomfort to some players"
Follow UsHis position as India’s head coach could become “untenable” if the Men in Blue fail to do well in the upcoming Champions Trophy
Gautam Gambhir’s position as India’s head coach could become “untenable” if the Men in Blue fail to do well in the upcoming Champions Trophy, starting on February 19, reported the Press Trust of India. India have been horrible under his coachmanship so far, and “his push to end the long-prevalent superstar culture" has also not gone well with some of the senior players.
Gambhir took over as India’s head coach in July. Soon after, India lost the ODI series against Sri Lanka. Then, India suffered a humiliating 0-3 whitewash in the home Test series against New Zealand before losing the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia by a margin of 1-3.
“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," a senior BCCI source told PTI on conditions of anonymity.
Talking about Gambhir wanting to end the superstar culture, the senior member said: “Gambhir wants to end the superstar culture that has been prevalent for so many years now. As captain of Kolkata Knight Riders in 2012, he had dropped Brendon McCullum from the playing XI for the IPL final against CSK.
“He has come here to dismantle the superstar culture and that’s what has caused discomfort for some playing members. 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.”
One of the former Indian selectors went on to compare Gambhir with Greg Chappell, who had one of the most controversial tenures as India’s head coach. “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.
“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.”