Gautam Gambhir is set to break new ground as Team India's head coach by taking on a role that none of his predecessors, including Rahul Dravid and Ravi Shastri, have undertaken.
With the conclusion of the ICC Champions Trophy, Indian players are now shifting their focus to the Indian Premier League (IPL) for the next two months.
However, Gambhir is not taking a break and is reportedly preparing to travel with the India ‘A’ team ahead of the senior squad's tour of England in June. According to reports, he will be the first-ever head coach of Team India to accompany the India ‘A’ side for an overseas assignment, a departure from the Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI) usual practice of assigning National Cricket Academy (NCA) coaches to such roles.
Gambhir's Vision for Strengthening the Talent Pool
For years, the responsibility of mentoring junior teams has fallen on NCA coaches like Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman. After Dravid took over as the senior team's head coach, the India A and U19 teams were left under the guidance of Laxman and other NCA staff. However, Gambhir wants to break this trend and personally assess the talent in the India ‘A’ squad. His decision to accompany the team is seen as a move to strengthen India’s red-ball cricket structure after a disappointing campaign in Australia.
“Gambhir has been in discussions with the BCCI since he returned from Australia. He has expressed his desire to travel with the India ‘A’ team to get a clearer view of the reserve pool,” a BCCI source told The Times of India. The report further states that Gambhir’s approach is likely to have a lasting impact, just as his push for selecting certain wildcard players contributed to India’s Champions Trophy triumph.
Gautam Gambhir Image: CricfitFocus on Reviving India ‘A’ Tours
Apart from strengthening the senior team’s bench strength, Gambhir is also advocating for an increase in India ‘A’ tours. He believes that the number of such assignments has dwindled in recent years and needs to be revived. “One of the crucial issues identified is reviving India ‘A’ tours. There have been only a handful of ‘A’ series after Dravid left NCA, and all of those were shadow tours for a marquee series. Gambhir too believes that there needs to be more ‘A’ tours. That’s why he wants to take stock of the situation firsthand,” the source added.
It remains to be seen whether Gambhir will officially take on a coaching role with the India ‘A’ team during the England tour or travel as an observer. However, his decision to get directly involved highlights his commitment to shaping India’s future cricketing pipeline.
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