Kaif said the pressure will now be on Gambhir to deliver positive result.
This result came after the Men in Blue suffered back-to-back whitewash against Ireland (2-0) and England (4-0) under regular chief coach Gautam Gambhir.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, former cricketer Mohammad Kaif emphasized a major change under Laxman that led to India’s success, noting the latter didn’t focus on batting depth until No. 8.
Kaif further mentioned that the pressure will now be on Gambhir to deliver positive result in the upcoming assignments.
“Yes, absolutely, there is pressure. Because if you look at it, as soon as VVS Laxman arrived in Zimbabwe as the coach, we won all three matches. There were no problems there. Look, what was the best thing VVS Laxman did? The best thing he did was that he did not focus on having batting depth until No. 8. He went with seven proper batters and five proper bowlers. Look, when Laxman picked his playing XI, he never thought, ‘We need an all-rounder at No. 8 who can do a bit of bowling and a bit of batting, so let’s leave out a main bowler.’ He didn’t do that,” Kaif said.
Kaif also highlighted Ravi Bishnoi's treatment under Gambhir. The leg-spinner had struggled and was quickly dropped after playing just one game on the tour of England. Laxman, however, provided him with a secure environment and selected him for all three Zimbabwe matches to build his confidence.
Moreover, Kaif lauded how Laxman handled Vaibhav Sooryavanshi despite the teenager’s modest run against England. This backing paid off as Sooryavanshi scored 151 runs across three matches—including a swashbuckling 81 off 49 balls in the finale—to earn the Player of the Series award.
“Now, if you notice, he also played Ravi Bishnoi. Bishnoi played only one match on the England tour and was dropped after that. VVS Laxman backed Vaibhav Suryavanshi, and he went on to become the Player of the Series. Now, look at the environment in which you play. It makes a big difference, the kind of atmosphere you create and how you back your players. VVS Laxman kept it simple: seven proper batters and five proper bowlers. So, there is pressure, of course. When another coach comes in and wins three matches comfortably, without any problems, and the matches don’t even get close, that naturally creates pressure,” he added.
The Indian team will return to action under Gambhir in the two-Test series against Sri Lanka, starting August 15 in Galle.
For the Sri Lanka Test series, Kaif expects the Indian team management to field two spinners in Kuldeep Yadav and Manav Suthar, ruling out Saransh Jain’s appearance in the playing XI.
“The first Test match looks difficult for Saransh Jain, in my opinion. So, the first Test might be difficult for him. They will probably give an opportunity to Kuldeep, who has been playing consistently and is one of the experienced players in the squad. Kuldeep is a proven player in Test matches, so they should give him a chance first. I think Manav Suthar will be ahead of him, and Saransh, who has just been selected, might have to wait for his opportunity in the first match,” he remarked.