Under Gautam Gambhir, India has recorded unwanted achievements across formats.
Gautam Gambhir, the head coach of India, is being scrutinized once more. In his brief time, he has won an Asia Cup and an ICC trophy, but he has also presided over several high-profile setbacks. India lost to New Zealand at home in their first-ever ODI series on Sunday.
The concept of split-coaching across formats was revived after the game by former India cricketer Robin Uthappa, who spent several years in IPL with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) under Gambhir. The concept of several coaches for different formats was supported by Uthappa.
Uthappa supported the idea of split-coaching, suggesting that it could be a viable option to keep coaches motivated and fresh.
"There are multiple ways to slice a cake. I am very open to having multiple coaches for different formats. India plays a lot of cricket. You feel like the mind also becomes stale when you move from one format to another. Sometimes you are so consumed. You can't really prepare for another format when you are dealing with one at a certain point in time. So you want to have that freshness of mindset and energy as well. From that perspective, I feel it (split-coaching) should work," Uthappa said on the YouTube channel.
Additionally, Uthappa recommended that the team's unity be taken into consideration when making such a choice.
"It is not an easy call to take. You need them to work in tandem and together. If they are all working against each other, then everyone suffers. To work in cohesion becomes important. Communication lines being open at all times, knowing when someone is going to take the lead and someone taking the backseat, knowing the importance of that. It is possible, but it needs to come from a place of building something big," he further said.
Uthappa stated that he prefers a system with the Director of Cricket overseeing the coaches across formats and making the final decision.
"If you can have scouts and have them reporting to a Director of Cricket, then the director and coaches are the ones who make the final decision, along with the administrators. I think that is the most productive and constructive way to build teams from here on," Uthappa said.