With India only winning one of their last nine Tests since a home series whitewash against New Zealand last November, the pressure is mounting on coach Gautam Gambhir to deliver results in red-ball cricket, said former India opener Aakash Chopra.
India have hit a rough patch with their Test team in transition as a new-look India side under Shubman Gill went down against a marauding England unit led by Ben Stokes at Headingley.
“There is a lot of pressure on Gautam Gambhir. The pressure is absolutely mounting. If you look at his performances in Test cricket, you will find that he has not won a lot of matches,” Chopra said, speaking on his YouTube channel.
“He won two matches against Bangladesh and one against Australia. However, he lost three against New Zealand, three against Australia and one against England. He has been continuously losing,” Chopra said referring to his former Delhi teammate’s coaching record.
“But in Test cricket, I think the questions are going to be there. And I think there is a lot of pressure on this series,” Chopra said.
Chopra added that there will be question marks over Gambhir’s reign as the Test coach if India concede the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy by an overwhelming margin by August.
“If the England series doesn’t go too well, then there will be a question mark – where are they going and what are they doing? Because the selectors will feel that whatever team management is asking for, it is being given. The type of player you want, the number of players you want, and the player you are pointing at are being given. So, if that is the case, you need to deliver the results. Period. There are no excuses,” Chopra said.
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The winless streak of eight successive matches is the longest endured by India in over a decade. Gambhir, however, backed an erratic bowling attack to regroup and come back fighting in the second Test which begins on Wednesday in Edgbaston.
“When we pick the squad, we pick the squad on trust, not on hope. These boys will deliver for us,” said Gambhir after the Headingley Test.
