India head coach Gautam Gambhir was under the scanner for the team’s poor show in the lead up to the recently-concluded Champions Trophy, especially in Test cricket.
However, the Rohit Sharma-led side performed exceptionally well in the Champions Trophy 2025, clinching the coveted title without losing a single match in Dubai. This triumph could prove to be the turning point in Gambhir’s coaching career going forward.
Following the ICC tournament win, Gambhir has shifted his focus to red-ball cricket where he hasn't had much success. Under his coaching, India suffered a 0-3 whitewash in the home Test series against New Zealand and then failed to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy on Australian soil.
According to a TOI report, Gambhir now wants to travel with the India 'A' side to England which is a shadow tour ahead of the senior team’s five-Test series in June.
"Gambhir has been in discussions with the BCCI since he returned from Australia. He has expressed his desire to travel with the India 'A' team to get a clearer view of the reserve pool," a BCCI source told TOI.
"With India winning the Champions Trophy after Gambhir's insistence for certain wild card players, one may expect him to assert more in future," the source added.
After the BGT debacle and the failure to make it to the WTC final for the first time, there were discussions around reviving the India 'A' tours which were a norm during Rahul Dravid's tenure as head coach.
Gambhir had these discussions with chief selector Ajit Agarkar and VVS Laxman in order to strengthen the Indian Test squad.
"One of the crucial issues identified is reviving India 'A' tours. There have been only a handful 'A' series after Dravid left NCA and all of those were shadow tours for a marquee series. Gambhir too believes that there needs to be more 'A' tours. That's why he wants to take stock of the situation firsthand," the source said.
India have not won a Test series on England soil since 2007. The last time they toured England, the series ended in a 2-2 draw. In 2021, the Virat Kohli-led side was leading 2-1 before the final Test was postponed due to COVID-19 outbreak in the Indian camp. In the rescheduled Test, India suffered a defeat in July 2022.
(With TOI Inputs)
