Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra has said that while Gautam Gambhir’s tenure as India's head coach hasn’t been all roses, the BCCI most probably won’t say anything to him until the end of the upcoming five-Test tour of England in June and July.
Gambhir has had a difficult time since taking over for World Cup-winning coach Rahul Dravid. Gambhir has little to offer other than a T20I whitewash against Sri Lanka.
Gambhir's 0-3 defeat at home to New Zealand, the same margin in ODIs against Sri Lanka, and losing the Border-Gavaskar Trophy to Australia after a 1-3 setback have put him under fire.
With the Champions Trophy and a five-Test tour of England coming, Gambhir's performance may come under scrutiny if things do not improve.
Gambhir is currently in command of the T20I team that will face England, followed by the ODIs, but his main test will be the Champions Trophy, which begins on February 9. India is one of the favorites, and if the wheels come off again in Dubai, Gambhir would not have much to save.
The former India opener reckons BCCI should thoroughly assess Gambhir's hits and misses only after he completes at least a year in charge.
"I feel one more England tour. I don't think the BCCI will say anything to him until then. After the England tour, it will be a year since he took over the reins. You were supposed to ensure transition within one year. So how he did there, which players he prepared, and whether the team's performances have improved, a review can be done for him," Chopra said on his YouTube channel.
"However, at least one year at the job is absolutely important to review someone's performance. You need 12 months. So I feel not the Champions Trophy, but the England tour. That might just be a critical barometer or parameter based on which Gautam Gambhir's performance might be reviewed. It won't be a bad thing. You review the performances of batters and bowlers, so do it for the coach as well," Chopra added.
India will start their World Test Championship 2025-27 cycle with the five-Test series in England. The last time India toured England in 2021, the 5-Test series finished 2-2, with the fifth Test being played in 2022 due to Covid issues.
