5 reasons why Gautam Gambhir should be sacked as head coach in Test cricket

Gautam Gambhir’s appointment as the head coach of the Indian cricket team came with massive expectations. His no-nonsense attitude, aggressive intent, and sharp cricketing brain made him a perfect fit, at least on paper. To his credit, Gambhir has delivered in the white ball formats. Under his guidance, India clinched the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy, a title that had long eluded them. He also oversaw bilateral ODI and T20I series wins at home, showcasing his aptitude in high-pressure tournaments and series.

However, while Gambhir’s white ball resume shines, his record as the head coach of the Test side leaves much to be desired. Since taking over the red ball reins, India has suffered avoidable defeats, seen major transitions mishandled, and played uninspired cricket. The current Test series against England is headed towards a bizarre and embarrassing finish, and alarm bells are ringing. It is increasingly evident that Gambhir’s methods are not translating into success in Test cricket, and the BCCI must intervene before the format suffers further.

Here are five reasons why Gautam Gambhir should be relieved of his duties as India’s Test head coach.

1) Poor Start and No Promise Shown

The first red flag under Gambhir’s Test coaching tenure came with the rare and shocking whitewash India suffered at home against New Zealand. Such an event is almost unheard of in Indian cricket and shattered the aura of invincibility that India once carried on home soil. It exposed the lack of tactical depth and adaptability under Gambhir’s red ball leadership.

Then came the Border Gavaskar Trophy in Australia, where India was handed a 3-1 defeat. While defeats away from home can be digested in Test cricket, what hurt most was the lack of fight and application. India looked unprepared, unmotivated, and tactically underwhelming. These defeats were not one offs. They are part of a growing trend under Gambhir where Test cricket feels like an afterthought rather than a priority.

Apart from the Bangladesh series win, there has been no visible sign of growth or promise in this format. India is not only losing Tests, but they are also losing their edge and identity in the format they once dominated.

2) A New Look Test Side Needs a Visionary Coach

Test cricket in India is going through a transition. In the last 12 months, India has seen three modern-day greats, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Ravichandran Ashwin, step away from the format. These are not just players but institutions in themselves. With Shubman Gill taking over as captain, a new era is beginning. But that requires strong, long-term planning, and most importantly, a coach who can nurture this young team with a red ball mindset.

Unfortunately, Gambhir’s decisions have been confusing and occasionally biased. Mohammed Shami, one of India’s premier Test bowlers, was excluded from the setup purely based on IPL form, which should never be a metric for Test selection. Meanwhile, Rishabh Pant, who was going through a lean patch and returning from injury, was selected regardless of his red ball readiness.

The inclusion of Harshit Rana, who played under Gambhir at KKR, over other deserving red-ball bowlers reflects favouritism that cannot be ignored. While Rana is promising, Test cricket demands more than promise, and it demands proof. 

A young Test team needs a visionary coach, not one who picks based on familiarity or white ball exploits, but someone who understands the demands of the five day game and builds a team accordingly.

3) Lack of On Field Presence and Tactical Input

Modern day coaching is not confined to team meetings. It’s a dynamic, real time job. It requires a coach to read situations, react, and communicate directly with players during crunch moments. This is an area where Gambhir has been conspicuously absent.

In 2022, during the rescheduled fifth Test between India and England, England coach Brendon McCullum was seen actively passing instructions to his bowlers. His suggestion to bowl short at Shreyas Iyer, who was struggling against short pitched bowling, led to a crucial breakthrough. That’s proactive coaching.

In comparison, Gambhir’s presence on the sidelines during Tests has been ghostly. The camera rarely catches him in discussion with players or showing tactical urgency. While he may have inputs off the field, a Test coach must also make a difference on the field. Players need a guiding force who can help them navigate tense sessions, not just someone sitting in the dressing room watching silently.

4) White Ball Thinking Ruining Red Ball Strategies

One of the biggest tactical failures under Gambhir has been his application of white ball strategies to Test cricket. In the IPL and other shorter formats, deep batting lineups and a mix of part time bowlers are common. The idea is to bat deep and give captains multiple options. But in Test cricket, that strategy rarely works.

Gambhir has consistently picked teams with up to eight batting options and used bits and pieces all rounders instead of specialist bowlers. The result? In the first Test of the ongoing England series, India conceded a massive 370 plus run chase. In the third Test, they were bowled out cheaply and handed England a manageable fourth innings target.

Compare this with the era of Virat Kohli, who won Tests across conditions with a five-bowler strategy. Kohli emphasised quality over quantity and played pure bowlers who could maintain pressure over long spells. Gambhir’s all-rounder-heavy lineups are built for white ball cricket and are failing miserably in the red-ball format.

5) Selections Driven by IPL Form, Not Red Ball Merit

Possibly the most damaging trend under Gambhir’s watch has been the prioritisation of IPL and T20 performances over red-ball consistency. Test cricket is built on temperament, patience, and adaptability, qualities honed over years of grinding it out in the domestic circuit.

Despite shining in the IPL, players like Sai Sudharsan and Prasidh Krishna were fast tracked into the Test team while red ball stalwarts like Abhimanyu Easwaran, Harsh Dubey, and Tanmay Agarwal continue to be ignored.

Worse still is the treatment of Sarfaraz Khan. After scoring a 150 and three fifties in just six Tests and going through a massive transformation by losing 17 kilograms in two months, he was inexplicably dropped. Role confusion has become the norm. Rohit Sharma, a natural opener, was asked to bat in the middle order in the 2024 Test series against Australia. KL Rahul, too, has been shuffled across positions with no stability or clarity.

The team does not have defined roles. That is a sign of poor man management and confused strategy.

Gautam Gambhir’s coaching credentials in white ball cricket remain commendable. He is a tactician who has delivered results on the global stage, winning the Champions Trophy and guiding India to limited overs dominance. But Test cricket is a different beast. It demands patience, long term planning, a pure understanding of red ball dynamics, and the ability to manage transitions wisely.

So far, Gambhir has not shown the ability to do that. With India’s Test team entering a critical rebuilding phase under a new captain, the BCCI must take a hard look at the leadership structure. The future of Indian Test cricket cannot be built on IPL form, personal biases, and misplaced tactics. It needs structure, clarity, and red ball first thinking.

Gambhir, for all his achievements in the shorter formats, is not the right man for the job. The longer BCCI delays this decision, the more Indian Test cricket will pay the price.