The “last of his concerns” is the financial details of Gautam Gambhir ‘s employment as India’s head coach, which still need to be ironed out.
The “last of his concerns” at the moment is the financial details surrounding Gautam Gambhir’s hiring as India’s head coach, as he is primarily concerned with assembling a top-notch support team to be ready for the immense challenges that lie ahead for the three-year tenure.
BCCI secretary Jay Shah formally announced Gautam Gambhir ‘s long-awaited nomination on Tuesday. Though it is anticipated that his pay will be in the same range as that of his predecessors, Rahul Dravid and Ravi Shastri, it is understood that his pay has yet to be finalized.
Gautam saw it as critical that he assume responsibility so that matters like pay and other concerns could be resolved because they would not go away. It’s comparable to Ravi Shastri, who was appointed Director of Cricket in 2014 instead of head coach Duncan Fletcher, a BCCI source told PTI.
“Ravi didn’t even have a contract when he joined, but everything worked out. Finer details are also being worked out in the case of Gautam. The pay will be comparable to Rahul Dravid’s,” he continued.
It’s understood that Gautam Gambhir will have his squad to work with, one that closely coordinates with the coaches of the NCA (National Cricket Academy), who oversee both the targeted players and the pathways teams (India A and U-19).
“I look forward to working closely with the BCCI, Head of Cricket – Mr VVS Laxman, the support staff, and, most importantly, the players, as we work towards achieving success in the upcoming tournaments,” gautam Gambhir had stated.
Laxman is now in Zimbabwe with the youth T20 side. Still, it is anticipated that upon his return, the head of the NCA, the two captains, Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya, and the new head coach and chairman of selectors, Ajit Agarkar, will hold a conversation about the path ahead.
Generating ideas for personnel support
Much anticipation surrounds the identity of Gautam Gambhir ‘s main support personnel.
Head of KKR’s academy and a former Mumbai star, Abhishek Nayar, has been an important backroom tactician for the IPL team.
In addition, he is well-known for being a life coach who has given professional one-on-one assistance to athletes.
More significantly, he is among the closest pals of current captain Rohit Sharma. After checking all the boxes, he appears locked as one of the assistant coaches.
L Balaji and Zaheer Khan were mentioned by one BCCI office-bearer, who works mainly out of Delhi, as potential contenders for the bowling coach position.
Other reports have mentioned R Vinay Kumar, Gambhir’s preferred candidate.
Even though BCCI secretary Jay Shah, an significant man in the organization, has not confirmed any such development, it is thought that the BCCI has rejected the plan.
Regarding the position of fielding coach, Jonty Rhodes’ name has surfaced once more; nevertheless, observing the patterns of the previous two coaching cycles, BCCI has consistently favoured one of its domestic players in the setup.
For example, one key player on Shastri’s team was R Sridhar, who rose through the ranks of the NCA and the India U-19 team. The same applies to T Dilip, who travelled for India A assignment and worked closely with Dravid at NCA.
Munish Bali, who has been a part of the system for a while and is familiar with most of the young people going through it, should also be given a chance.
The T20I and ODI teams for the Sri Lanka series will be revealed in the coming days, but for the next year, the two conventional formats—ODIs and Tests—will be the IPL-winning former KKR mentor’s top priorities.
Significant obstacles to overcome
Australia, where India had won back-to-back Test series in 2018–19 and 2020–21 under Ravi Shastri’s guidance, would undoubtedly be Gautam Gambhir ‘s first major Test.
India and Australia will play five Tests, their first meeting in 33 years (since 1991–1992), with the first Test taking place at Perth’s Optus Stadium, one of the sport’s liveliest venues.
When Gautam Gambhir devoted a great deal of time to planning when leading Delhi as captain in the Ranji Trophy from 2013 to 2017, his reputation as a red-ball coach will be greatly impacted by a series that will also be critical to India’s World Test Championship qualifying.
The BCCI has yet to approve the schedule, but there will be a Champions Trophy in Pakistan in between.
Gambhir has been adamantly opposed to playing cricket in Pakistan despite his constant references to the sacrifices made by the Indian Army.
Now that he is back on the BCCI payroll, it will be intriguing to see how he feels about playing there if the tournament goes as scheduled and a significant ICC title is on the line.
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