Former England spinner Monty Panesar believes a one-coaching formula will not work for all formats in India for Gautam Gambhir, who lost six Test matches as a coach. The performance of the Indian cricket team has been faltering since Gambhir replaced Rahul Dravid in July 2024.
They suffered their first ODI series defeat to Sri Lanka since 1997 and surprisingly lost 3-0 at home in the Test series in New Zealand. Moreover, India lost the Test series 3-1 to Australia, losing the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after 10 years.
However, the Men in Blue are unbeaten in T20I cricket and have won all six matches under new coach Gambhir, but he is yet to win an ODI match and all eyes are now on the upcoming three-match ODI series against India at home. ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
Monty Panesar demands Gautam Gambhir’s sacking as India’s Test coach.
Gambhir had a successful career as a T20 mentor with Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and defending IPL champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). As captain, the former India batsman won two IPL titles and also played a key role in India’s T20 and ODI World Cup wins in 2007 and 2011 respectively.
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However, his Test figures were poor in Australia and England and now India’s Test performance has highlighted his weakness against red-ball cricket, leading many to suggest that the BCCI has separate coaches for the white-ball and Test teams. I triggered it.
Well, Monty Panesar has supported the idea of having separate coaches for white-ball cricket and red-ball cricket for the Indian cricket team. He feels that coaching all three teams is too much for Gautam Gambhir and he may face orders from senior players while playing alongside them.
Do Indian players not respect Gautam Gambhir?
The Times of India quoted Monty Panesar as saying: “I think so too. I think it’s a good choice. Perhaps the workload is too much for Gambhir…he has just transitioned into coaching. Sometimes you actually say, ‘Well, I was his teammate a few years ago. Now he’s teaching us how to play cricket.’ It can be difficult and the change is not good for his record (as a batsman) either in Australia or England.”
In Australia, Gambhir scored just 181 runs from four Tests at an average of 22.62, while in England he scored just 127 runs from five outings at an average of 12.70. These numbers are not good for a Test side coach and now the BCCI should hand over the Test coaching role to VVS Laxman, Panesar said.
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India needs a legend like VVS Laxman for their Test team: Monty Panesar
The former England spinner said Gambhir’s Test numbers are not that good and this is giving him trouble in gaining respect in the Indian dressing room. He noted that a legend like VVS Laxman, with proven success in all conditions, naturally commands respect and authority.
Panesar explained further. “Selectors will be thinking, ‘Is Gambhir taking this seriously as a coach or should we just let him focus on ODIs and T20Is and bring in someone like VVS Laxman as Test coach? )? Or bring him in as a batting coach to help Gambhir. He is similar to Rahul Dravid. He succeeded in every situation. I think some kind of Indian legend should come in as coach who has done really well in all situations. Because then you can naturally gain that respect.”
He concluded: “When Laxman says, ‘You won’t hit the ball upwards when it swings,’ do you hear it? But in Gambhir’s case, I’m not sure if they really take him seriously or if they’re just saying, ‘Okay, we’ll listen to him, but we’ll go and play our natural game.’ ”
