Aakash Chopra says Gautam Gambhir’s head coach role could be reviewed after England tour

Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra reckons Gautam Gambhir’s head coach role could be reviewed after the upcoming England tour, where India would play five crucial Test matches in the next World Test Championship cycle.

Gambhir has been under scrutiny since he took over the coaching baton from Rahul Dravid. Under Gambhir’s tutelage, India lost an ODI series against Sri Lanka after 27 years and they were also whitewashed by New Zealand despite playing in home conditions.

India suffered a 1-3 loss against Australia in the Border-Gavaskar trophy and the team hasn’t fared well in the red-ball format in the recent past.

“I feel one more England tour. I don’t think the BCCI will say anything to him until then. After the England tour, it will be a year since he took over the reins. You had to do the transition within one year. So how he did there, which players he prepared, and whether the team’s performances have improved, a review can be done for him,” Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube Channel.

The former Delhi player said the BCCI should not review Gambhir’s role after the conclusion of the Champions Trophy.

“However, at least one year at the job is absolutely important to review someone’s performance. You need 12 months. So I feel not the Champions Trophy, but the England tour. That might just be a critical barometer or parameter based on which Gautam Gambhir’s performance might be reviewed. It won’t be a bad thing. You review the performances of batters and bowlers, so do it for the coach as well,” Chopra added.

The reputed commentator urged the Indian players to do well in the upcoming Champions Trophy as the pressure is rising on the team.

“Please do well because it is not a normal Champions Trophy this time. The 2013 Champions Trophy was also not normal because it was the start of a new era. It was entirely MS Dhoni’s team. It had his imprint. He decided that he to make Rohit (Sharma) an opener, and he was made an opener just before the Champions Trophy,” he said in the same video.

“He even bowled himself and there was a lot of focus on fielding. Shikhar Dhawan started becoming Mr ICC. India had gone through a transition by then. Here, it is the backend of a transition, where it seems like some players’ performances are being keenly watched. We are not sparing their Ranji scores,” Chopra observed.

The Rohit Sharma-led will open their Champions Trophy campaign against Bangladesh on February 20 at the Dubai International Stadium.