Gautam Gambhir’s tenure as head coach of Team India has not started promisingly. Expectations were sky-high for the former India debutant when he replaced Rahul Dravid as head coach in July last year.

The BCCI hired the Indian great after his coaching success in the IPL. Under his mentorship, Kolkata Knight Riders played an exciting brand of cricket and won the IPL after a gap of ten years. However, things have not developed as expected for Gautam Gambhir since he became India’s head coach.

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Under him, India lost the ODI series in Sri Lanka. This was followed by a humiliating 3-0 defeat in the home test series against New Zealand. It was India’s first loss in a home Test series since the 2012/13 season. India had a chance to bounce back by winning the Test series in Australia but were completely outplayed by losing the series 3-1.

The defeat ended India’s chances of qualifying for the World Test Championship final for the third consecutive time. India also lost a Test series against Australia for the first time since 2017. As expected, Gautam Gambhir is facing heat from various quarters.

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Brendon McCullum defends Gautam Gambhir:

As the Indian head coach looks to bounce back, he received much-needed support from his England counterpart Brendon McCullum.

Speaking to the media ahead of the first T20I between India and England, McCullum defended Gautam Gambhir and praised him as an outstanding leader. He also said that Gambhir has just started as head coach, implying that it is too early to judge him.

“Gautam Gambhir is an exceptional leader. For India, he is just getting started as a head coach,” said Brendon McCullum.

After defending Gambhir, McCullum turned his attention to the upcoming series against India. England are scheduled to play 5 T20Is and 3 ODIs against the Men in Blue. The tour will begin with the T20I series this week.

Ahead of the series, McCullum praised India as a very good team but also made sure to warn the hosts. The former New Zealand captain warned India not to take England’s batting line-up lightly, saying: “India is a very good team. But our batting line-up is as powerful as any other in world cricket.” .

He also said that England would not shy away from playing an exciting brand of cricket, saying: “We will play a very watchable brand of cricket.”

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Meanwhile, the first T20I between India and England will take place on Wednesday (January 22) at Eden Gardens.