Former India batter Manoj Tiwary expressed his reservations about Gautam Gambhir‘s suitability as the head coach of the Indian national cricket team. He believes Gambhir’s expertise lies in mentoring IPL franchises, not leading the national side.
India’s recent struggles under Gambhir’s coaching have fueled Tiwary’s concerns. These include losing an ODI series to Sri Lanka for the first time in 27 years, suffering a 0-3 whitewash against New Zealand at home, and losing the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the first time in a decade.
India recently lost the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the first time in a decade, and Tiwary, who once had a dressing room altercation with Gambhir during their IPL playing days, highlighted these setbacks since Gambhir’s appointment as coach.
“See, the results are there to be seen. Results don’t lie. Numbers don’t lie. The record speaks for itself,” Tiwary told PTI in an interview.
Tiwary, currently serving as the deputy sports minister in the West Bengal government, questioned Gambhir’s coaching methods and lack of success with the Indian team.
“He has not been able to carry on the good work which Rahul Dravid did.
“It will take a lot of time for him to get on the track, or to winning ways. Because I don’t see any experience behind his coaching the Indian team.
“In Test cricket or in one-day series, I don’t think he has any experience of coaching to be honest.”
While acknowledging India’s victories against Bangladesh across formats and a T20I series win against Sri Lanka under Gambhir’s guidance, Tiwary maintained his stance. He believes that more experienced coaches like VVS Laxman and Sairaj Bahutule would have been better suited for the role.
“I think VVS Laxman and Sairaj Bahutule… these guys were in line to be the next head coach. And these guys have been with the NCA for so many years. When Rahul Dravid was not available, the next coach was an automatic choice.
“So, that process was getting followed. And in between how Gambhir came in, nobody knows. So, this result is bound to happen.
“When someone who does not have any experience and he comes up and takes up the job… And knowing him, how aggressive he is as an individual in certain aspects, this result is bound to happen,” Tiwary said.
He reiterated his belief that appointing Gambhir based solely on his IPL results was a mistake.
“So, the decision to appoint him as head coach, by just seeing (IPL) results, was wrong. In my opinion, it was not the right choice.”
Tiwary also downplayed Gambhir’s role in Kolkata Knight Riders’ recent IPL success, particularly their third title win. He acknowledged Gambhir’s contribution in motivating players like Andre Russell and Sunil Narine but emphasized the collective effort, including the role of coach Chandrakant Pandit.
“Gambhir just had experience of mentoring KKR and Lucknow. He had no experience in coaching, that has not been an aspect with him. And when you don’t have experience of coaching, then it becomes difficult for you to perform.”
Speaking about Gambhir’s involvement in a triumphant last season for KKR, Tiwary said, “when players like Andre Russell and Sunil Narine were not performing well, obviously he gave them confidence. There is no doubt about that.
“But you tell me, what did Chandrakant Pandit do as a coach then? So, you mean to say, all the players and Chandrakant Pandit had no role in KKR’s turnaround.”