After India lifted the Champions Trophy, it is only obvious that we speak about the players.. the contribution of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Varun Chakravarthy, and all the others in the team, but it would be unfair, not to have a discussion on head coach Gautam Gambhir. Look, after India lost the Australia Test series and the New Zealand one too, there were a lot of reports coming, that suggested, the head coach might be replaced, but then the Delhi lad did not let it affect his plans and vision for Champions Trophy 2025.
So, InsideSport takes a look at some of the key decisions taken by Gautam Gambhir, during Champions Trophy 2025, and rates them too.
Including Varun Chakravarthy as Jasprit Bumrah’s Replacement (10/10)
Look, Ajit Agarkar and Gambhir, both deserve some credit here, to include a spinner in the side, who had the experience of just one ODI before that. Despite being good in the England T20Is, he did not play in the ODI series, and was straightaway drafted to the CT squad. From there, to playing him in the XI, and giving him crucial overs — the duo certainly deserve a pat on the back.
The Four Spinner Ploy for Dubai (9.5/10)
While all the experts knew the importance of spinners in Dubai, where the pitches weren’t fresh, there were many doubts raised over India playing four spinners in the XI. Right from their final league game vs NZ, to the final against the same opposition, Gambhir just stuck to that combo. The result? Varun ended with nine wickets in three matches, Kuldeep Yadav 7 in 5 encounters, Axar Patel 5 in 5 and same for Ravindra Jadeja.
No Spot for Rishabh Pant in Playing XI (9/10)
So, Rishabh Pant doesn’t necessarily have brilliant ODI numbers, and shouldn’t have been in the fray in the first place, but then must admit, he brings a certain X-factor with him, and is a better keeper than KL Rahul for sure. So, at some point there could have been a temptation to play him, at least in one match. But kudos to Gambhir, for not falling for that temptation. He made sure that the balance of the side was not disturbed.
Banking on Hardik Pandya as 2nd Pacer (10/10)
With Mohammed Shami blowing hot and cold entire Champions Trophy, there could have been a possibility that Gautam Gambhir could have looked at playing Harshit Rana, even after the first two games. But he showed a lot of faith in Hardik Pandya the bowler, who wasn’t exceptional, but wasn’t bad either. He ended his five matches with four wickets, and an economy of 5.83; so purpose solved.
Anything Against Gambhir? Maybe Team Fielding (7/10)
Yes, there is a fielding coach in the team, but now when the tournament is over, this aspect needs to be revisited. Overall, the ground fielding was decent, but then catching was just not up to the mark. In the entire series, India had a catch efficiency of only 67%, compared to 91% by New Zealand.
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