Team India’s continuous flop show in the longest format of the game has been making a buzz all around the world. Team India’s performance has drastically gone down ever since Gautam Gambhir took over as the Head Coach of the Indian test side.
Home which was considered a fortress for team India for more than 2 decades and the players around the World dreamt of winning a test match in India has been a cakewalk for the visiting teams nowadays. Team India have been clean swept by two teams in the span of 15 months first by New Zealand and now South Africa.
EverSince team India lost against South Africa there has been a talk of removing Gautam Gambhir as the head Coach of the Indian test team.
In this article we will have a look at the potential replacements for Gautam Gambhir if he is sacked by the BCCI
1. Anil Kumble
If the BCCI decides to part ways with Gautam Gambhir as India’s coach, Anil Kumble will be a shocking choice. His previous coaching period from 2016 to 2017 is still considered one of the Indian cricket’s most successful coaching periods. Kumble’s team India played 17 Tests, and out of which, 12 were won, and 1 was lost while 4 were drawn. Hence he achieved a stunning win rate of 70.6%. This was the best win rate for any Indian coach with more than 15 matches.
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Even though his great tenure ended with a clash of personalities with the then captain Virat Kohli, the numbers were contrary. Kumble’s tenure saw India reach the finals of the 2017 Champions Trophy and the Indians marked their presence in Tests with dominating performances. Admitting later, he said he had no regrets but wished the ending had been better. Years of experience in coaching, Kumble’s name could come up as a potential replacement, though he was in IPL coaching in recent times.
Mahela Jayawardene
The former Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene is very likely to take over Gautam Gambhir’s position if he is sacked by the BCCI. He is the coach of the Mumbai Indians and has won the IPL titles with the team in 2017, 2019, and 2020. Moreover, Jayawardena has also been part of the England (batting consultant), West Indies (head coach), and Sri Lanka (consultant) teams.
Besides, he has also been the coach of Khulna Titans (BPL) and Southern Brave (The Hundred). He captained the Sri Lankan team in 183 matches, winning 98 and losing 67. Moreover, he took his team to the final of the 2007 ODI World Cup. He is, therefore, a strong foreign coaching option for BCCI with three IPL titles.
Vvs Laxman
VVS Laxman, the ex-Indian cricketer, is likely to be the one who will take over as the new head coach of India if Gautam Gambhir gets ousted. Laxman is currently 51 years old and is the head of BCCI’s Centre of Excellence, which is mainly focused on the training of young players. He was also the coach of the India
Under-19 team during their tour in the UK. Laxman has worked as the Indian cricket team’s coach on different occasions. He was the coach for the Ireland T20Is, the Asia Cup, and the New Zealand series in 2022. After that, he worked with the senior team in the 2023 Asian Games and T20I series in Zimbabwe and South Africa in 2024.
He was in charge of the team for a considerable time when India was at the peak of its performance in white-ball cricket and thus, the gold medal at the Asian Games, and winning most T20I series. As an interim coach, he was victorious in 14 out of 21 white-ball matches. India A and U19 teams have benefited from his coaching, and Laxman is considered a good candidate for the change in case of a coaching switch in India.
Tom Moody
Tom Moody, a former cricketer from Australia, is the one who managed to make the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) team win the IPL title in 2016. He has worked with various teams through his coaching in the IPL such as Punjab Kings (2008-2010) and SRH (2013-2019). He was brought back to SRH as Director of Cricket in 2021 after having occupied this position at the Melbourne Renegades in 2014.
Recently, Moody took over from Zaheer Khan as the global director of cricket for LSG. The coaching career of Moody encompasses leading Sri Lanka to the 2007 World Cup final and working with teams such as Rangpur Riders (BPL), Multan Sultans (PSL), Montreal Tigers (GT20 Canada), and Western Australia (KFC Big Bash).
