For over a decade, a Test series in India has followed a familiar, almost sacred, script. Visiting teams arrive with hope, are suffocated by spin, battered by relentless batting, and leave with their confidence in tatters. The Indian home fortress was considered impregnable, a bastion of cricketing dominance. But the walls are beginning to crack, and the architect of its current fragility appears to be the very man brought in to reinforce it: Head Coach Gautam Gambhir.
The recent 2-1 series loss to England, India’s first at home in twelve years, was not a fluke. It was the culmination of a tactical philosophy that can only be described as a maelstrom of instability: a policy of ‘chop, change, and ultimately, crumble’.
From ‘Long Rope’ to Guillotine: A Culture of Insecurity
Gautam Gambhir, a two-time World Cup winner and a fierce competitor, was appointed with the promise of instilling a ‘killer instinct’. Instead, he has fostered a culture of insecurity. The concept of a ‘long rope’, a hallmark of the previous Dravid-Rohit era that allowed players to find their footing, has been replaced by a guillotine that falls after a single failure.
Look no further than the opening slot. After a promising debut, Devdutt Padikkal was unceremoniously dropped for the decider in Dharamshala following one low score, making way for a returning KL Rahul who looked rusty at best. The message sent to the dressing room was brutal: perform or perish. This isn’t building a team; it’s a high-stakes game of musical chairs where the players are too busy looking over their shoulders to focus on the opposition.
Chaos in the Spin Department
This revolving-door policy has been most damaging in the spin department, traditionally India’s ace in the hole. The horses-for-courses approach has become a chaotic lottery. Kuldeep Yadav, man of the match in one game, found himself carrying drinks in the next, with Axar Patel brought in and then subsequently dropped. This constant tinkering robs bowlers of rhythm and confidence. How can a spinner set up a batsman over the course of a series if he isn’t even sure he’ll play the next match?
IPL Aggression vs. Test Match Temperament
Furthermore, Gambhir’s dogmatic pursuit of aggression is being misapplied in the five-day format. His tenure as a mentor in the IPL was defined by a go-for-broke intensity that paid dividends in a T20 setting. But Test cricket demands nuance, patience, and the ability to absorb pressure—qualities that seem to be actively discouraged.
We saw the disastrous results in the second innings at Dharamshala, where a reckless attempt to dominate the new ball on a spicy pitch led to a collapse of 4 for 30, effectively handing the series to a disciplined English side. This isn’t the fearless cricket of Virender Sehwag; it’s tactical inflexibility masquerading as aggression. Gambhir’s on-field persona was that of a fighter, but his coaching strategy lacks the crucial ability to adapt. He seems to be coaching the team he wants them to be, not the team they are.
How Many More Cracks Before the Fortress Falls?
The passion that burns in Gautam Gambhir is undeniable, and his commitment to Indian cricket is absolute. But his current methods are creating a tense, unforgiving environment that is proving counterproductive. The home fortress was built on a foundation of stability, trust, and backing players through thick and thin. By replacing that with a foundation of constant change and fear of failure, Gambhir is dismantling, brick by brick, the very structure he was hired to protect. India needs a steady hand, not a clenched fist. The question the BCCI must ask is, how many more cracks will appear before the fortress crumbles completely?
