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Blink, and you may miss a fresh wave of criticism directed at Gautam Gambhir. The head coach has been at the centre of a storm ever since India lost 0-2 to South Africa at home. He’s become everyone’s favourite punching bag – fans, former cricketers – and there seems to be no immediate end to his woes, given India’s abysmal Test record ever since he took over. Come to think of it, some of Indian cricket’s biggest controversial moments have taken place during his tenure. The team lost its first-ever bilateral series in Sri Lanka after 27 years, suffered its first Test series defeat on home soil after 12 years, lost the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after eight years, and now hammered a second series whitewash in approximately a year.
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And let’s not even forget how Indian cricket lost three of its biggest stalwarts in the format, with Ravichandran AshwinRohit Sharma and Virat Kohli announcing their retirements from Test cricket, all in a gap of six months. Ashwin was the first to go, after India drew the Brisbane Test in December, followed by Rohit and Kohli in a week’s time in May. Months later, some of the most ardent Ro-Ko fans still blame Gambhir for their retirements, and while no one directly criticised Gambhir all this time, Manoj Tiwary has come out and openly blamed the coach for fast-tracking Ashwin’s retirement.
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“You (Gambhir) made Ashwin insecure just by bringing Washington Sundar from outside the squad. It’s a clear indication that you no longer trust Ashwin. In my opinion, it made him uncomfortable, and that’s why he retired in Australia,” Tiwary told the Hindustan Times while talking about Gambhir.
‘Rohit, and Virat wanted to play Test cricket’
Tiwary then shifted his focus towards Kohli and Rohitwho, with about a month left for the tour of England, pulled the plug on their Test careers. Rohit began 2024 on an emphatic note, scoring two centuries in the Test series against England at home, but over time, he lost his touch. His outing in Australia – 31 runs from three Tests – sealed his fate.
Kohli’s decision, however, came as a surprise. He had struck a century in the Perth Test, and sure, while runs became tough to come by in the remaining four, Kohli, then 36, looked set to embark on what could have been his final tour of England. Tiwary didn’t elaborate on Ro-Ko’s retirement much but said just enough for the onlookers to understand.
“Obviously, both Rohit and Virat wanted to play Test cricket, but unfortunately, the scenario was such they themselves said goodbye to that. Things like these never make a player feel settled in the squad,” he added.
