Sanjay Manjrekar warned that India could face more Test defeats if Gautam Gambhir’s unusual strategies are not corrected by the BCCI.
Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has raised concerns over Gautam Gambhir’s approach as head coach, warning the BCCI about possible setbacks in Test cricket. He credited the recent 2-2 draw in England to the young side led by Shubman Gill but stressed that poor strategies cost India a series win.
Gambhir has shifted focus to a batting-heavy setup, playing multiple all-rounders while overlooking Kuldeep Yadav, India’s most attacking spinner. This left the bowling unit dependent on just three or four main options to deliver on flat surfaces. Manjrekar highlighted that India’s seam bowling lacked sharpness, and team selections created unnecessary disadvantages. He believes these choices allowed England to stay level, while better planning might have secured India a 3-1 win.
“(Yashasvi) Jaiswal, Gill, (KL) Rahul & (Rishabh) Pant & even Washy (Washington Sundar) are your safe bets even against quality opposition but I fear for India’s seam bowling and its strange tactics led by Gambhir with regards to playing XIs and bowling changes, if these controllables were handled better, India would have beaten the natives 3-1 you would think,” Manjrekar wrote in his column for The Hindustan Times.
“That a class act like Kuldeep did not feature at all will remain one of the shocks of the series, when you are playing an opposition with a very weak bowling attack and a strange batting approach such selection blunders can cost you. A similar approach versus Australia and India would pay a heavy price for it, like we saw recently in the BGT. In the current euphoria these tactical mistakes if not questioned by the selectors and the BCCI, leave India vulnerable to another sound beating against a good side,” he added.
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Manjrekar also feels Bumrah adopted a questionable approach, resulting in only short displays of brilliance across nearly 175 hours of cricket.
“The one bowler with great skills and ability had a bizarre approach to playing in this series even before it began, so bowling greatness or excellence was seen very sporadically over 175 hours of Test cricket,” he wrote.
India’s 2-2 result in England marked only the second notable achievement of Gautam Gambhir’s tenure as Test coach. His tenure so far includes a home win against Bangladesh, a whitewash in New Zealand, and a series defeat in Australia.
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Last Updated on August 16, 2025
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