Team India is having a tough time in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia. The Men in Blue trail the series 1-2 despite winning the first game of the series in Perth.
After poor performances in the last three Tests, coach Gambhir's role has come under the microscope. Former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali spoke about Gambhir's performance as a coach. Basset was highly critical of Gambhir's unusual tactics and questioned his methods.
Read also: Gautam Gambhir issues official statement after India locker room chat leaks
Basit Ali strongly criticized Gautam Gambhir's 'coaching tactics'
While speaking on his YouTube channel, Basit Ali criticized Gautam Gambhir claiming that he does not understand the coach's tactics. He feels Gambhir may have done a good job as a mentor for Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2024 but does not have the requisite understanding of Tests.
“Gautam Gambhir's tactics ko nahi aati, Coaching ki (Gambhir doesn't know coaching tactics). No doubt he led Kolkata Knight Riders to the IPL title (in 2024), but T20s don't need much coaching. In Test matches, even the test Coach, what does the coach understand and plan while sitting on the bench? Basit said.
Gambhir played an excellent role as KKR's mentor in IPL 2024. His decisions as a mentor proved to be very successful in KKR winning the title. After his stint with KKR, he was appointed as the head coach of the Indian cricket team.
The former Pakistan batsman feels Gautam Gambhir missed the opportunity to play mind games on Australia. According to him, India should have announced the starting XI and explained its tactics to Australia.
“He should have immediately announced the eleven participating in the match. He told about Akash Deb's absence due to a back injury. So why didn't he announce the team and the counterattack!” Basset noted.
Basit Ali questions the unity of Team India
Basit Ali also questioned the unity of Team India by pointing out an incident where Gautam Gambhir and Jasprit Bumrah talked to each other while the rest of the team was busy in the training session.
“Today a video was released where Gambhir and Bumrah are talking alone, while the rest of the team is warming up. Is this a good sign?” Basit said.
“Even if they don't talk about cricket, every player should wonder (what are they talking about). If he had to talk, he should have done it inside the dressing room,” he observed.
Gautam Gambhir's difficult period as India coach
Gautam Gambhir's tenure has indeed faced many difficulties so far. Gambhir saw India lose an ODI series in Sri Lanka for the first time in 27 years despite having strong players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in the team.
If that wasn't enough, the Men in Blue were beaten 3-0 by visiting New Zealand on home soil. It was a shocking defeat considering India's prowess in domestic conditions over the past decade.
India started the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy with a win in the first Test in Perth. But the team then lost the plot, losing to Adelaide and Melbourne. The third Test in Brisbane ended in a draw but Australia looked a better team.