Tim Paine expressed concerns about the coaching style of Gautam Gambhir.
Former Australia skipper Tim Paine has expressed concerns about the coaching style of Gautam Gambhir, who took over the India head coach job after Rahul Dravid’s tenure came to an end in June 2024.
According to Paine, Gambhir's "prickly" demeanour could be detrimental to the Indian team's performance, especially if the visitors face early setbacks in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy Down Under.
India have won the last two Test series on Australian soil. However, the situation is a lot different this time around as they are coming into the series on the back of a 0-3 whitewash against New Zealand at home.
Under Gambhir’s coaching, India lost three successive Test matches in Bengaluru, Pune and Mumbai. This outcome also marked the end of their remarkable streak of 18 consecutive home Test series victories.
Speaking on SEN Radio, Paine drew a comparison between Gambhir and India's previous coach, Ravi Shastri, emphasizing their distinct styles.
“Their last two series wins out here they had Ravi Shastri who was fantastic. He created a great environment, the players were energised, they played with passion, he sold them the dream and motivated them in a really light-hearted enjoyable way.”
Paine finds Gambhir's coaching style a lot intense and competitive, which he believes might not align well with the Indian team's dynamics.
“They (India) have gone to a new coach now that is really prickly, really competitive -– and that not to say that’s not a good thing and a good way to coach -– but my concern is that it’s not a great fit for the Indian cricket team.”
Paine's apprehensions stem from the recent war of words, involving Gambhir and former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting.
Notably, Ponting had commented on the decline of star Indian batter Virat Kohli, which prompted a sharp response from Gambhir.
“If your coach is the first one to crack in a press conference after being asked a simple question, it could be a really long summer for Gautam Gambhir if India don’t get off to a good start on Perth.”
Gambhir had termed Ponting's opinions on Indian cricket irrelevant, which prompted Paine to question the Indian coach’s ability to handle pressure gracefully.
“I don’t love it. It’s not a good sign I think, because all he was asked was a very simple question. I think he’s maybe looking at Ricky still as someone he’s playing against.”
Paine further stated that Ponting's role as a commentator necessitates expressing opinions, and his assessment of Kohli's form was accurate.
“But Ricky is a commentator now – he’s paid to give an opinion, and his opinion was spot on. Virat has been sliding, it is a concern, absolutely.”
“But for me now, the biggest concern for India right now isn’t Rohit Sharma’s batting, isn’t Virat Kohli’s batting, it’s their coach and his ability to stay calm under pressure,” he concluded.