Sunil Gavaskar Questions Gautam Gambhir, Morne Morkel's Roles Post Humiliating BGT Defeat
Team India lost the Border-Gavaskar Trophy to Australia at 1-3, losing the final Test at Sydney by 6 wickets. The Men in Blue started the five-match Test series campaign with a win in Perth by 295 runs, losing the second Test in Adelaide by 10 wickets. The third Test went to a draw due to bad weather and lightning. The last two Tests left were very crucial for India in order to qualify for the World Test Championship, but they lost both the Tests held in Melbourne and Sydney, making their chance null in the WTC final.
After the BGT 2024-25 loss, the whole Indian team, and especially the coaching and support staff, are under the scanner of everyone.
Former Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar feels that questions need to be asked of Gautam Gambhir and his staff. Gambhir took over the reins from Rahul Dravid after the T20 World Cup 2024 win. Since then, there were thoughts that he would take the success of the team to the next level with his experience. He chose the staff of his own choice; everything was done according to him. He brought in Abhishek Nayar and Ryan Ten Doeschate as assistant coaches and Morne Morkel as bowling coach. However, the now questions are being asked on their role in the team.
Gambhir didn't get a good start in his tenure; India lost the ODI series against Sri Lanka and now has back-to-back losses in the Test series against New Zealand and Australia. In November, India suffered a whitewash in the Test against New Zealand on their own soil, which shocked everyone.
Sunil Gavaskar said,
"I don't know about the merit in having different coaches. That is something, you know, that we need to look at in a different scenario, not right now. But surely questions have to be asked of him (Gambhir) and his coaching staff. What were they doing that we had this situation where we are losing, losing, losing?"
"Because we have lost when we should not have in India against New Zealand. The batting over there was pretty ordinary. The batting over here has been pretty ordinary. So I do believe that I think questions need to be asked about that."
Further, Gavaskar questioned the strategies set by the bowling coach, Morne Morkel, against Pat Cummins and Travis Head. He said that the whole world asked the India team to bowl short balls, but they didn't do that. But if Morkel asked them to do so and they didn't do that, then the questions should be asked of the bowlers. There are so many questions that need to be asked of the team and coaching staff.
"Our bowling could have been better as well. We just had two bowlers. But a lot of times, the things that everybody, not just us, but including the Australians, who were talking about the kind of deliveries to be bowled to a Travis Head, to a Pat Cummins, nothing of that sort was tried. So therefore, you are going to ask the bowling coach, What was happening?"
"And if the bowling coach said that he had also told the bowlers to do this, and the bowlers didn't do that, then you need to question the bowlers. Why the short stuff was not tried against Head? Why the short stuff was not tried against Pat Cummins? You know, there are so many questions that can be asked."