IND vs AUS: Is Gautam Gambhir going beyond his brief as a coach leading to team disruption?

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Indian coach Gautam Gambhir is facing plenty of heat after India's series loss to New Zealand and there are talks about replacing him as a Test coach if India fail to make any impression in the five-match Test series in Australia.

But he has also gained the confidence of a certain section of the BCCI. In fact, there are three thoughts about the round. One is to give him a long rope, the other is a wait-and-watch policy, and the third is all about blaming the team rather than blaming Gambhir.

The upcoming Test series in Australia is poised to be a critical test for Gambhir's coaching tenure. Success could strengthen his position, while failure might lead to calls for his replacement. Balancing team performance, player accountability, and administrative expectations will be crucial for Gambhir in this high-pressure scenario.

How the team performs and the BCCI's eventual stance will determine whether Gambhir's tenure continues or comes to a premature end. The ODI series loss to Sri Lanka marked the current downfall of this team in recent times under the Gambhir era.

Gambhir, who himself played spinners so well, did pass on his knowledge to his teammates but that didn't go down well with the players perhaps because there is a lack of connect between the two.

There is a theory that one should not coach a set of players with whom one has played. If that is true, then it was a fundamental mistake to make Gambhir a coach when a player like Virat Kohli is still playing the game.

With a history of indifferences between the two Delhiites, it was not absolutely necessary to introduce a young coach like Gambhir to the system. But since BCCI has done it, he has to be backed and the former Delhi cricketer is getting that backing.

However, the problem lies somewhere else. He is constantly right into day-to-day management and at times goes beyond the brief of the captain like it happened during the last Test match against New Zealand, wherein the India team didn't want to play on a turning track, unlike Gambhir.

His predecessor Rahul Dravid, on the other hand, was more of a coach who took policy decisions rather than day-to-day running of the team, which is a captain's responsibility.

Quite often, it was said that Dravid always took the back seat while captain Rohit Sharma was the driving force. Unfortunately, the equation is massively disturbed because of Gambhir's range of handling things.

It has come to such a pass that more could spill over if India fail to make it count Down Under. Gambhir's credibility would hit rock bottom if things didn't go as planned this time!