India's UK tour is rapidly coming apart, and much of the blame is now being fixed on new head coach Gautam Gambhir. With India 1-2 down in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series, the fourth Test at Old Trafford is looking like another disappointment as England build a commanding lead after the first innings.
Frustrating the fans the most, however, is not only scoreboard pressure, but the seeming absence of leadership in India's bowling department — a unit fronted by Jasprit Bumrah and that has, with the exception of his own performances, appeared toothless and inconsistent.
One of the loudest in his criticism is former India opener Navjot Singh Sidhu, who has criticized Gambhir's selections and strategy, blaming them for the series dip.
Speaking bluntly on his YouTube channel, Sidhu minced no words in his evaluation of Gambhir's tactics. In his opinion, incessant changing of players has upset the team's rhythm and unity and denied the side the opportunity to gel when it was needed the most.
"Third game, Bumrah is back, and Prasidh Krishna is out. Fourth game, Akash Deep gets hurt, and Anshul Kamboj is brought back in. What is happening? Have you ever seen so many changes? It's not bad, it's worse," Sidhu reacted, clearly upset.
He stressed the need for team harmony rather than individual efforts — something which Gambhir should be well aware of from his own days as an IPL captain. "You cannot create a proper combination. Who knows better than Gautam Gambhir that teams win due to combinations and not brilliance? When he played with KKR, it was the six-bowler combination that took 106 wickets. That did it," Sidhu further added.
India's strategy with the ball at Manchester has confused many an onlooker, with debutant Anshul Kamboj unable to leave an imprint and England cashing in with the willow. Joe Root scored a regal 150, aided by half-centuries from the top order, leaving the home side in commanding position.
Sidhu also challenged the on-field bowling rotation decisions. Specifically, he had criticized the less-than-full utilization of Shardul Thakur and Washington Sundar over matches, as well as the frequent volatility in team compositions due to injuries and strategic changes.
"In the first match, Bumrah plays, but Shardul is not given the ball with him. Then Shardul is dropped, Bumrah doesn't play, Akash Deep plays, Washington Sundar plays, Nitish Reddy plays," he said, pointing out the lack of continuity.
As day four wears on, England's hold on the match becomes firmer with their advantage crossing the 200 runs mark. Adding to India's misfortune, their captain Ben Stokes is moving ever closer to his opening Test century of the summer, subjecting a struggling Indian team to more pressure.
Unless there's a sudden change of fortunes, Gambhir's first overseas stint as head coach can be a series loss — an outcome that's already generating controversy over leadership and forward planning in Indian cricket.
Read also| Root's 150 and Stokes' Unbeaten 77 Power England to 186-Run Lead Over India in 4th Test
