Published: August 3, 2026 at 3:45 pm
The Indian team faltered badly during their tour of Ireland and England but produced a 3-0 result against Zimbabwe, which was a face-saver for the T20 World Champions.
With coach Gautam Gambhir taking a much-needed rest, NCA director VVS Laxman took charge of the team and rallied it. However, the series win in Zimbabwe made critics and fans to compare Gambhir and Laxman’s performances as coach. Gambhir will have quite a task on his hand during the upcoming Sri Lanka tour to prove the naysayers wrong.
Vijay Mohan Raj
Khelkhiladis.com talked to a few cricketers to know about the role of a coach and the selection of players.
“As NCA director, Laxman knows many of the players, be it newcomers like Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Prince Yadav, Mayank Yadav among others or senior players like Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishen. Laxman has always been a player-friendly man. It is quite easy for him to interact with the players in any series and get the results. He has that personal rapport with the players. His calm and cool way of handling the players is very important. On the other hand, Gambhir is very intense and quite often looks perturbed. The results under Gambhir are definitely not encouraging,’’ said former first-class cricketer Vijay Mohan Raj, who had also been coach of the Hyderabad Ranji team and South Zone team.
Siraj, Shami and Bhuvi would have made a difference: Raj
Raj added that selection of players did raise a few eyebrows. “For example, 36-year-old Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been exceptional in the IPL in the last two years, but the selectors have coolly ignored his performances. We don’t know the reasons. But if they say age then it is ridiculous. I don’t understand this age obsession. In the name of the World Cup, we ignore players like Bhuvi, (Mohd) Shami for important international series. Surely, Bhuvi should have been there for the Ireland and England series. His swing and his experience would have helped India and also young the seamers. We have to look at the present not for the future. We need to have experienced players in the team. We have bungled in selection. During the 2019 World Cup, they dumped a seasoned Ambati Rayudu for a rookie Vijay Shankar.
Coach VVS Laxman and captain Shreyas Iyer hold the trophy after the series win in Zimbabwe. Pic: X
“There was no particular reason for not taking Mohd Siraj for the England tour. He would have made the difference along with Bhuvi in England. Remember during the Test series in England, Siraj was one of the success stories. I have nothing against Jasprit Bumrah as he has been the main wicket-taker for India, but he is quite often injured. Wrong selection priorities. Shammi has been performing in domestic cricket. It looks like different yardstick for different players,” Raj said.
No better seam bowlers than Shami and Bhuvi: Prasad
P Jyothi Prasad, who was a good exponent of swing bowling in the 1970s and 80s, felt that omitting seasoned players like Bhuvi, Siraj and Shami was a disastrous move.
P Jyothi Prasad
“Bhuvi and Shammi may be in their late 30s. But give them a ball, red or white, and there are no better seam and swing bowlers than them. They move the ball late and can trouble the best of the batters of the world. Their experience could be handy in any conditions, particularly in places like England, South Africa or Australia. Bhuvi swings the ball both ways and what we saw this year in the IPL, he was exceptionally good along with Josh Hazelwood for champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru. While Australians value this veteran seamer, our selectors somehow overlook Bhuvi. What has age to do with performance? If a player performs, we need to select him straightaway. His omission to England was a big surprise. Even Siraj for that matter. Unless he has a serious injury, he can’t be omitted in any important international series. Last year, he led from the front in England in the absence of Bumrah,” Prasad said.
“The present crop of fast bowlers has good pace, but they are not consistent with their line and length. They leak runs in plenty. Players like Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana and the young crop need to learn the art of consistency. They need to learn the art of swing from Bhuvi, Shammi or Siraj,” he added.
Handling of players is very important: Jabbar
Abdul Jabbar Khan, the Mr Reliable for Tamil Nadu in the 1980s and 90s, said man management was very crucial for any coach. “Handling of players is very important. One needs to earn respect from the players. They have to be friendly and guide the players, especially those who are under performing. Laxman has always been Mr Cool. Even as a player, he showed that trait and now as a coach he has shown that skill. That is exemplary. A player always needs soothing advice. It is an art to manage the players,” Jabbar said.
“(Ravi) Shastri, Rahul (Dravid), Laxman have their own way of handling the team and they have been successful. Their vast knowledge of the game has helped the team, be it in strategy or decision-making. The greatness of a coach lies during a tough series. Shastri showed in Australia. Rahul and Laxman are proactive and player friendly. A dressing room is all about bonhomie,” he added.
VVS Laxman and Hrishikesh Kanitkar. Pic: BCCI
Jabbar, who was the coach for Kerala Ranji team for three years and two years with Tamil Nadu, said that a new player always looks to the coach. “There will be a lot of butterflies in their stomach, and the coaches have to handle them. If a player is not getting runs or not getting wickets, it is a coach’s duty to motivate the players. I remember I was out of form during my playing days and a two-minute talk with (PR) Man Singh helped me regain my confidence. That is how the coach has to react with players. With all modern gadgets, the coach should rectify a player’s mistakes. For a batter, I always looked at the grip or stance. These small things are important,” he said.
Age is being used as a criterion for blatant discrimination in Indian cricket team
Jabbar, brother of late Abdul Azeem and who has now settled in Hyderabad, said the frequent shuffling of the pace attack is not good for the team. “We need to have a mix of experience and youth. On batter-friendly wickets, Bhuvi could take wickets and trouble the batters. He would have relished the English conditions. I am not doubting the young talent. But they need to be more consistent. The batters or bowlers have to learn to bat and bowl in different conditions.
Abdul Jabbar Khan with Kenia Jayantilal
“I was surprised when batters like Sooryavanshi, Abishek (Sharma) and (Ishan) Kishen fell to the pull/hook shots. They need to adjust to the condition. In India, it is easy to execute these shots. But in England, the conditions are different as there is more bounce and pace. They never learned from the mistakes, and it is here the coach plays a big role. I don’t understand why Sanju Samson, the most successful batter, single-handedly winning three successive matches in a tournament like the World Cup, is treated badly. It is here again the coach has to infuse confidence. But unfortunately, he is conveniently dropped. The coach has to do one-to-one talk with a player,” Jabbar added.
Jabbar wondered why players, particularly the pacers, are injury prone. “Look at Kapil Dev’s record. He never missed a series for injuries. He could bowl 25 to 30 overs a day. Nowadays, every now and then a player is injured. It is a very disturbing trend. Definitely there needs to be a better planning to keep the players fit.”
