Ravi Ashwin with Rahul Dravid; Gautam Gambhir stands alone | PC- AFP
Gautam Gambhir is getting criticised left, right and centre, especially after the results went against India on the Ireland and England tour.
During Gambhir’s tenure, the Men in Blue have won two back-to-back ICC titles, but it is worth noting that India have been consistently getting demolished in bilaterals.
South Africa and New Zealand were able to achieve the inevitable, whitewashing India in home Tests. Moreover, they were outclassed in ODI series by the Blackcaps, Australia and recently in England. All of these defeats have coincided with Gambhir’s tenure.
Ravi Ashwin advices changes to Gautam Gambhir
While advising changes to Gautam Gambhir, Ravichandran Ashwin gave examples of positives that happened during Rahul Dravid’s tenure as India’s head coach.
"Can anyone say Rahul Dravid didn't use to play, he dropped any player unnecessarily or didn't give a long rope to players or didn't keep stability in the team?, Ashwin stated on his YouTube channel Ash Ki Baat.
Furthermore, Ravi Ashwin put weight on how the Dravid backed Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav and Shardul Thakur.
Also Read: Ravi Shastri's Right Hand Takes Up Gautam Gambhir Management's Job For Indian Cricket
“Let me give an example: the way he kept Hardik Pandya secured for WC 2023 & the way he used him, but it was unfortunate that Hardik got injured at the wrong time,” Ashwin added.
“He backed Shubman Gill & brought him as an opening batter, KL Rahul got great backing & he became one of the best test batter India had. He given long rope to Shardul at no.8 in overseas, when it came back to India, he given Kuldeep Yadav that 3rd spinner place. Stability, I have worked closely with Rahul Dravid. You go & ask any of the players form Dravid's interact & those players will tell you the reality."
Watch: Ravichandran Ashwin roasts Gautam Gambhir
Are Gautam Gambhir's methods questionable?
On the contrary, Gambhir Gambhir has been criticised for not dropping Sanju Samson in T20Is vs England, just after three failures since winning the Player of the Tournament in the 2026 T20 World Cup.
Moreover, there have been reports suggesting a tussle with the head coach and two star batters, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.
That said, Gambhir should be credited for backing youngsters like Harshit Rana, Sai Sudharsan, Washington Sundar and Prasidh Krishna.
Gautam Gambhir may face BCCI's heat soon
After a tough tour in England, Gautam Gambhir has opted for rest and won't travel with the Indian team to Zimbabwe. In the head coach's absence, VVS Laxman will fill in to handle the Shreyas Iyer-led T20I team.
In other updates, Gambhir’s subordinate T Dilip has also not travelled for the upcoming T20I tour, as the fielding coach is set not to get an extension from the BCCI. Moreover, Ryan ten Doeschate (assistant coach) and Morne Morkel (bowling coach) are also in talks with IPL franchises, parting ways with the Indian team.
Nevertheless, the Indian board will have a review meeting with the head coach and Chief Selector Ajit Agarkar regarding the UK tour.
Also Read: Bangladesh Cricket Board Opens Disciplinary Proceedings Against Its Own Player
.jpg?type=mq "Bangladesh Government Breaks Silence On India tour of Bangladesh 2026!")
.jpg?type=mq "Arshdeep Singh Picked His All Format XI!")
