Former India head coach Ravi Shastri has made headlines by taking a sharp dig at the current head coach, Gautam Gambhir. Though Shastri did not mention Gambhir directly, he criticized the sweeping changes Gambhir made to the coaching staff since taking charge. Gambhir is currently leading India as head coach in his first Test series against Bangladesh in Chennai.
Gautam Gambhir stepped into the role after Rahul Dravid’s tenure ended following India’s T20 World Cup 2024 victory. Despite being asked to continue, Dravid declined an extension. Upon his appointment, Gambhir overhauled the coaching staff, retaining only fielding coach T Dilip from Dravid’s team.
This move has raised eyebrows, including those of Shastri, who served as India’s head coach from 2017 to 2021. In a recent interview, Shastri commented on the drastic changes made under Gambhir’s leadership. He questioned the necessity of altering the entire coaching team, suggesting that change should be driven by need rather than for its own sake.
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“You don’t have to change things for the sake of it. If you genuinely feel the need, fine, but just because you’re the coach doesn’t mean you have to voice your opinion every time. Sometimes, it’s better to keep quiet,” Ravi Shastri remarked, subtly criticizing Gambhir’s approach.
Breaking 🚨: Ravi Shastri on Gambhir’s changes in the coaching team: You don’t have to change things for the sake of it, if you genuinely feel then fine, but just because you are a coach you don’t need to have a say every time. You can also keep shut at times. @StarSportsIndia
— Tyrion_stark (@itshaik717) September 19, 2024
“Just because you’re getting money you don’t need to say everything. You can shut up as well”, says who? Ravi Shastri.
— KASHISH (@crickashish217) September 19, 2024
Under Dravid, the coaching staff included Vikram Rathour (batting coach), Paras Mhambrey (bowling coach), and T Dilip (fielding coach). With Gambhir at the helm, Abhishek Nayar and Ryan ten Doeschate have joined as assistant coaches, while Morne Morkel has been appointed the new bowling coach. Morkel’s first assignment is the ongoing Test series against Bangladesh, while Nayar and ten Doeschate had already been part of India’s tour of Sri Lanka, where India clinched the T20 series 3-0 but lost the ODI series 2-0.
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The Bangladesh series also marks Gambhir’s first home assignment, kicking off a lengthy red-ball season for India. Following this, the team will play five more Tests at home before heading to Australia for another five-match series. How Gambhir’s revamped coaching approach fares in these crucial series remains to be seen.
