Former Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh has opened up on split coaching debate for Team India. Singh said there is no need for it now and urged the Indian board to be patient with head coach Gautam Gambhir but at the same time, the former off-spinner said there is nothing wrong with split coaching.

Many International teams have backed split coaching but India has always maintained a single coach for all formats. Former head coach Rahul Dravid did take a few breaks during his stint and in his place, VVS Laxman, stepped up.

Meanwhile, Gautam Gambhir has had a sensational white-ball record in his tenure but his red-ball numbers have been worrying. Under Gambhir, India has lost five out of their last seven Test matches at home.

Speaking to ANI, Harbhajan said: “It is not that easy to become a coach of India. To be a coach, you have to travel with the team for a whole year and keep yourself involved in the game. You have to be more engaged because there are multiple team selections, and you also need to focus on match results.”

The Turbanator said in India, criticism can be harsh for the coach when the team doesn’t do well.

“In India, it is our tradition that if the team plays well, everyone is quiet, but as soon as the team plays poorly, we get on top of the coach.”

“Everyone needs to be patient. If you feel you need to split the coaching, such as adopting a policy of one white ball and one red ball, then there is no need to do so for now,” said Harbhajan. But over time, if needed, you should definitely do it. There is nothing wrong with that.”

Gambhir’s next assignment is the white-ball series against New Zealand.