Challenges for Gambhir as Indian cricket braces up for new era – The Statesman

As the euphoria of the T20 World Cup triumph gradually settles down, and Indian cricket braces up for a new era under Gautam Gambhir, who has quite a connection to big titles, the newly-appointed head coach will be expected to navigate the challenges of the dynamics of all three formats, that his predecessor Rahul Dravid managed to almost sail through in the longer formats before finally laying his hands on the T20 World Cup silverware to wrap up a successful tenure.

The retirements of stalwarts Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja from T20Is aside, a major change that affects the team across all three formats came when Dravid decided not to extend his tenure due to family commitments.

The unassuming Indian legend took the team to heights in his three years as head coach, guiding the team to the final of the ICC events in all three formats – the ICC World Test Championship, the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup and the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. Only one of those might have brought home a trophy, but it was no easy journey to reach the decisive clash each time around.

Gambhir, who played a starring role in India’s title triumphs in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in 2007 and the 50-over World Cup in 2011 is no stranger to big-ticket events. He also captained Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to Indian Premier League (IPL) title victories in 2012 and 2014 and later came back to mentor the side to their third title win in 2024.

The 42-year-old, though, takes over the reins of an Indian team that’s already near the top of the world. A packed calendar across formats awaits Gambhir and the Indian team. Here’s a glimpse at what Gambhir will have on his agenda in the three formats.

Tests

Unlike ODIs and T20Is, India aren’t at the top of the ICC Men’s Test Team Rankings. They have reached the final of the two ICC World Test Championships, but couldn’t place their hands on the mace. India had lost to New Zealand in 2021 and Australia in 2023.

India come off the back of a brilliant Test series win against England at home, the 4-1 scoreline seeing the team top the ICC World Test Championship standings. Currently, the team has six wins in nine Tests in this cycle and are primed to reach a third successive final.

With 74 points in their kitty, India have a chance to boost their chances even further and consolidate the top spot when they take on Bangladesh for a couple of home Tests before hosting New Zealand for three more Tests. The team will then fly to Australia for the Border-Gavaskar trophy during which Rohit Sharma & Co will play five Tests.

After two successful Australia tours since 2018, India will be eyeing another series victory, but Pat Cummins’ side has proved to be a thorn in their side in recent times. The series will likely present Gambhir’s sternest test this WTC cycle.

ODIs

The wounds of a heartbreaking loss in the final of a home World Cup might have healed a bit with the T20 World Cup trophy, but India have two big ICC events awaiting in this format in the next four years – the Champions Trophy next year and the 2027 World Cup in three years time.

The team is also very likely to undergo a transition in between. Rohit Sharma will lead the side at the Champions Trophy, but Gambhir knows that the process for blooding the next captain, and the next set of players, will need to begin soon.

India haven’t tasted a title win in this format since 2013, when they won the Champions Trophy, and he will hope to turn those fortunes around next year.

T20Is

The team is basking in glory after the T20 World Cup win in the Caribbean and the USA, but it was shortly followed by three major retirement announcements as Rohit, Virat and Jadeja drew curtains to their T20I career.

While the next event is two years away, this is a crucial transition period for the side that Gambhir will have to oversee. Aside from picking the new captain, the former India opener will also have the task of filling in three key positions in the starting XI.

With the number of players the IPL is churning out, there’s always a problem of plenty for Gambhir to deal with and making optimal use of the resources available to him could be the difference between disappointment and defending the title in 2026 at home.