Players do not take him seriously: Gautam Gambhir is demanded to be sacked and his replacement is identified

Former England player Monty Panesar believes India’s one-coach-for-all-formats formula will not work under Gautam Gambhir after he lost six Test matches as head coach. The Indian cricket team’s performance has been shaky since Gambhir replaced Rahul Dravid in July 2024.

They suffered their first ODI series defeat to Sri Lanka since 1997 and were surprisingly whitewashed 3-0 at home in a Test series by New Zealand. To compound their woes, India lost the Test series 3-1 to Australia, losing the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after ten years.

However, the Men in Blue are unbeaten in T20I cricket, winning all six matches under new coach Gambhir, but are yet to win the ODI match, and now all eyes are on the upcoming three-match ODI series against India at home. of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.

Monty Panesar demands sacking of Gautam Gambhir as India Test coach

Although Gambhir had successful stints as a T20 mentor with Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and defending IPL champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). As captain, the former Indian batsman won two IPL titles and also played a crucial role in India’s T20 World Cup and ODI triumphs in 2007 and 2011, respectively.

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But their Test numbers are not very good in Australia and England, and now India’s Test performance has highlighted their weakness in red-ball cricket, leading many to suggest that the BCCI has separate coaches. for white ball and test teams.

Well, Monty Panesar supported the idea of ​​having separate coaches for the Indian cricket team for white-ball and red-ball cricket. He feels that coaching all three teams is too much for Gautam Gambhir and he might face the order of senior players as he played with them.

Indian players don’t respect Gautam Gambhir?

Monty Panesar was quoted by the Times of India: “I think so. I think it’s a good option. I think maybe the workload is too much for Gambhir… He has just moved into coaching. It can be difficult sometimes for some of the older players who are actually thinking, ‘Well, I was his teammate a few years ago; now he’s telling us how to play cricket.’ That transition can be difficult, and also his record (as a batsman) is not very good in Australia or England.”

In Australia, Gambhir managed only 181 runs in four Tests at an average of 22.62, while in England he has only 127 runs in five outings at an average of 12.70. These figures do not suit a Test team coach and now the BCCI should hand over the role of Test coach to VVS Laxman, Panesar said.

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India needs a legend like VVS Laxman for Test team: Monty Panesar

The former England player said that Gambhir’s Test numbers are not that good and that poses a challenge for him to command respect in the Indian dressing room. He mentioned that legends like VVS Laxman, with proven success in all conditions, naturally command respect and authority.

Panesar further explained, “I think the selectors will be thinking, ‘Is Gambir taking this seriously as a coach, or should we get him to focus only on ODIs and T20Is and maybe bring in someone like VVS Laxman, for example (as coach of Tests? )? Or bring him as batting coach to help Gambhir. He is similar to Rahul Dravid. I think you need some kind of Indian legend, who has done very well in all conditions. the conditions, to arrive as a coach, because then, naturally, you inspire that respect.”

He concluded: “If Laxman tells you, ‘You’re not going to play the ball up when it’s swinging,’ you listen, right? But with Gambhir, I’m not sure if they really take it seriously or just say, ‘Okay, yeah, we’ll listen to it, but let’s go play our natural game.’ “