If the Rohit Sharma-led Indian men’s cricket team suffers badly in the upcoming five-match Test series against Australia, the team may be split into two separate teams with separate team coaches for Test and white-ball cricket in the future. Dainik Jagran, in a report on Saturday (November 9), revealed that the BCCI was also planning such an appointment because if Team India loses the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after losing 0-3 at home against New Zealand, it will also suffer internal problems.
At the moment, all three formats of the game have Gautam Gambhir as the Team India coach. The board cannot remove him in such a time frame, so the only possibility is to have different coaches for the red ball and white ball games. Upon available information, NCA head VVS Laxman, who is presently in South Africa with Indian team as head coach for the four-match T20I series, will take over the Test team while Gambhir will keep his role with the white ball teams.
There have been precedences in England and Pakistan in the past who have had a test and a one-day head coach, but India has always had a single head coach.
The twin coach system in England lasted for two years as Test coach Brendon McCullum became the head coach of the Test and one day teams while a few months back, Gary Kirsten who was head coach of the one day squad with Jason Gillespie looking after tests became only six months long, since before his debut ODI as Pakistan’s head coach, Kristen resigned.
BCCI secretary Jay Shah, board president Roger Binny, the captain Rohit Sharma and chief selector Ajit Agarkar along with head coach Gambhir held a review meeting on Friday after India’s stunning loss in the home series against New Zealand. In the six-hour-long meeting, discussions were held on various topics apart from talking about the coaching style of Gambhir and incorporating the second Test round in which the team management decided to rest Jasprit Bumrah for the third Test and also the decision to go for a rank turner.
It has also been learned that certain members of India’s think-tank were at odds with Gambhir regarding the squad’s selection for the five-match series against Australia.
