IMAGE: Gautam Gambhir has a tough task at hand to redeem himself and his team when they travel to Australia for a five-match Test series next month. Photograph: BCCIUnprecedented series defeats against Sri Lanka and New Zealand have placed Gautam Gambhir under immense pressure barely three months into his appointment as the head coach of the Indian team.
He was appointed to the top post amid much fanfare and was also given a rare seat at the selection committee meeting for the tour of Australia. However, his initial report card clearly suggests things aren't looking good for the former India opener.
Unless there is a remarkable turnaround Down Under, Gambhir, who was given a free hand in selection matters, may not have as much say in issues concerning the team in the coming times.
Right after Gambhir took over the reins, India lost an ODI series to Sri Lanka for the first time in 27 years, and then New Zealand completed a 3-0 whitewash of his side in Tests at home on Sunday, something the team never experienced in its long cricketing journey.
While the coach can do only as much, questions are now being raised about the lack of prudence on display by going for a rank turner in Mumbai despite knowing that the top-order has time and again failed in last six to seven years against quality spin bowling on wickets offering decent turn.
Even Gambhir's philosophy of playing the same way, come hell or high water, is something that those associated closely with Indian cricket have failed to fathom.
Agreeing to send pacer Mohammed Siraj as night-watchman on the second evening of the third Test against New Zealand in Mumbai and Sarfaraz Khan at No.8 in the first innings are some of the tactical moves that are being questioned by everyone.
"Gautam Gambhir was given access which his predecessors Ravi Shastri and Rahul Dravid didn't have. The BCCI's rule book doesn't allow coaches to be a part of the selection committee meetings, but for Australia tour selection meeting, an exception was made.
"The head coach was allowed to attend considering the magnitude of the tour," a senior BCCI source told PTI on the condition of anonymity.
At least two players - Delhi and KKR speedster Harshit Rana and Andhra and SRH all-rounder Nitish Reddy - are in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) squad on the insistence of the head coach.
However, Rana wasn't given any white-ball game in either Sri Lanka or during the home series against Bangladesh. It was reported that he was released before the last match as he was unwell but within a week, he was back bowling in the India nets in Bengaluru. And then, he had a good Ranji Trophy outing against Assam.
There was a school of thought that believed Rana, rather than featuring in Ranji Trophy, could have been sent to Australia with the India A team as playing one or two first-class games on bouncy tracks there would have allowed him to hit the right length before the Test series.
Instead, he was turned into a net bowler for the just-concluded Test series in which two of the three tracks were rank turners.
Coming to Reddy, he got into a tangle while facing a short ball in the 'A' game and his bowling, which is certainly not good enough to be among the main five bowlers, has also raised concerns.
Impressed with Reddy's T20 skills, Gambhir was convinced that he can be the ideal replacement of Hardik Pandya as the seam bowling all-rounder.
The Australia series will be an acid test for Gambhir as he might have to also become the harbinger of doom for some senior players and show them the mirror as the board watches his moves from the sidelines.
The whitewash has also put the maverick Delhi man under the lens.
