Jay Shah opened up on the decision to appoint Gautam Gambhir as the all-format coach.© AFP
Gautam Gambhir kicked off his reign as head coach of the Indian team with the tour Sri Lanka last month. However, he endured a mixed outing as the team won the T20I series, but conceded the ODIs despite the presence of big stars like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and others. was appointed as the national team’s head coach on July 9, 2024, replacing Rahul Dravid whose contract expired after the T20 World Cup in June. Before Gambhir’s appointment was made official by the BCCI, reports had emerged on social media claiming that the Indian team might adopt a hybrid model of coaching (different coaches for different formats).
However, the BCCI decided to stick with the tried and tested method. During a recent chat, BCCI Secretary Jay Shah opened up on the decision to appoint Gambhir as the all-format coach.
“We’ve to listen to the coach we recruit. Once we have selected Gautam Gambhir and if he is interested to coach in all three formats, who am I to say ‘you can’t coach a particular format’. More or less 70 per cent players are the same in all three formats,” Shah told Times of India.
Shah also highlighted the presence of solid back ups for the head coach role.
“We have coaches from the NCA. When Rahul Dravid was taking a break, VVS Laxman used to step in,” he added.
Gambhir’s first Test assignment as head coach will see India square off against Bangladesh in a two-match series next month.
India’s key players of red-ball cricket, including captain Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ravichandran Ashwin and Jasprit Bumrah, will not feature in the Duleep Trophy.
With the Border Gavaskar Trophy set to be played towards the end of the year, the selectors will have to keep a close eye on the players competing in the tournament.
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