Gautam Gambhir will be questioned by BCCI after shameful defeat

New Delhi: The Indian team led by Rohit Sharma suffered a shameful 0-3 defeat in the Test series against New Zealand. For the first time, the Indian team had to face a clean sweep in a Test series of three or more matches at home. Also, after 24 years, Team India was whitewashed in a Test series at home. Earlier, it was whitewashed by South Africa in a two-match Test series in the year 2000.

BCCI keeping a close eye on Gambhir’s performance
After the shameful defeat, Indian team’s head coach Gautam Gambhir is also under the scanner. Gambhir took over as the head coach with much fanfare about four months ago. But the Test series defeat has put him under tremendous pressure. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had also specifically allowed Gambhir to attend the selection committee meeting for the Australia tour. Now, initial reports show that things are not looking good for Gambhir.

In the coming times, it seems difficult for his views on issues related to team selection to be given importance. Just after Gambhir took over the command, India lost the ODI series against Sri Lanka for the first time in 27 years. Then New Zealand whitewashed India 3-0 on Sunday. Now questions are being raised as to what was the need to play on a turning pitch in Mumbai because in the last few years the top order has repeatedly failed against good spin bowling.

Gautam Gambhir was given the facility which Ravi Shastri and Rahul Dravid did not have. According to the BCCI rule book, the head coach is not allowed to be a part of the selection committee meeting, but for the Australia tour, this rule was kept aside for Gambhir. A BCCI source told news agency PTI, ‘Considering the seriousness of the tour, the head coach was allowed to attend it.’

How right is it to send Siraj as a nightwatchman?
Gautam Gambhir’s principle is that no matter what happens… one should keep playing in the same way. This is something that even those in Indian cricket are unable to understand. Sending Mohammed Siraj as a nightwatchman in the Mumbai Test and sending Sarfaraz Khan at No. 8 in the first innings are some of the strategic moves that are bound to raise questions.

At least two players – pacer Harshit Rana and all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy – are in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy squad at the behest of the head coach. However, Rana did not get a chance to debut during the home series against Sri Lanka or Bangladesh. There were reports that he was released before the last match because he was unwell, but within a week he was bowling in the nets in Bengaluru. He then performed well in the Ranji Trophy against Assam.

If Harshit Rana had been sent to Australia with the India-A team, playing on bouncy pitches there would have given him experience for the upcoming Test series. Instead, he was included as a net bowler in the series against New Zealand, in which two of the three pitches were rank turners. Talking about Nitish, he had problems facing short balls in the match against Australia-A and his bowling form is also not looking good. Gambhir was confident that he could be an ideal choice in place of Hardik Pandya as a fast bowling all-rounder. Now the Australia series will be no less than a litmus test for Gambhir. The board is keeping an eye on him from the sidelines.