Sunil Gavaskar and Gautam Gambhir. (Source – Getty Images)
The legendary Sunil Gavaskar said that Gautam Gambhir’s “honeymoon period” is over as far as his position as India’s head coach is concerned. The cricketer-turned-commentator said that Gambhir’s mistakes during this period could be forgiven but he needs to step up and guide the team properly during the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25.
Gambhir became the head coach of the Indian team earlier this year after stints as mentor of Lucknow Super Giants and Kolkata Knight Riders. Under the former India opener’s tenure, the Men in Blue have lost an ODI series against Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka (0-2) and suffered a shambolic Test series defeat at home versus New Zealand (0-3). These disappointing results have garnered a lot of flak for Gambhir and his players.
“The honeymoon period for Gautam Gambhir has ended. We tend to forgive the mistakes made during this period, but we now want him to step in and guide the players properly in the tour of Australia,” Gavaskar told India Today.
‘What is the role of Abhishek Nayar in the team?’ – Sunil Gavaskar asks
Gavaskar seemed to be unsure about the roles being played by each of the support staff in the Indian team. The 75-year-old questioned the role of Abhishek Nayar in the team.
“For batting…what is the role of Abhishek Nayar in the team? Is he a batting coach or an assistant coach?” Gavaskar asked.
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After the anchor made him aware, Gavaskar let out a laugh but controlled himself quickly before taking a dig at Nayar and Ryan Ten Doeschate. The veteran commentator said that Gambhir has more runs than Nayar and Ten Doeschate and should take the role of the batting coach in Australia.
“Gambhir has scored a lot more runs than the two, so if he can step in and guide the players on how to bat in Australian conditions and the type of approach they should take, then we can probably perform better,” he added.
India’s five-match Test tour of Australia begins with the first encounter in Perth, starting November 22. The following games will be played in Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney.