Former England spinner Monty Panesar has voiced serious concerns about Gautam Gambhir’s ability as the head coach, especially after India’s unexpected loss in the first Test against England.
Panesar noted that India’s batting looked solid with five centuries and a score over 400 at Headingley, but it was the bowling unit that completely fell apart when it mattered most.
India is currently trailing 0-1 in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, and the second Test at Edgbaston beginning July 2 is crucial for their comeback in England. Their five-wicket defeat at Headingley was disappointing, especially since India had the upper hand after the first innings.
However, the bowling unit failed to defend a massive 371-run target in the fourth innings, allowing England to chase it down with ease and take a 1-0 lead in the ongoing five-match Test series.
Panesar believes that Gautam Gambhir’s ability to build a solid batting lineup has already been proven, but the head coach now faces a big reality check in terms of his leadership ability.
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The former England spinner has noted that the real question is whether Gautam Gambhir can build a bowling attack that’s good enough to take 20 wickets and finish the job.
Panesar felt India’s defeat at Headingley exposed Gambhir’s coaching problem in tactics and team selection.
‘Is Gautam Gambhir a good coach to make the bowling good?'
Monty Panesar was quoted as saying to IANS, “Fans are going to troll. They’re going to come after Gautam Gambhir. The question is, ‘Is Gautam Gambhir a good coach to make the bowling good? Does he have the ability? ‘He needs to show that.’ He needs to now think, Right, I know how to get the batting to fire, but as a coach, can I pick the team to take 20 wickets?”
Now, all eyes are on the second Test at Edgbaston, and Panesar feels that if India’s bowling doesn’t improve quickly, the BCCI could start re-evaluating their decision test by test, so his biggest challenge right now is figuring out how to build a bowling unit that can dominate in tough conditions.
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Panesar added, “That’s his biggest challenge right now in England, and if he is not able to demonstrate that, then I think the BCCI will slowly, Test by Test match, assess him, and they’ll just think, you know, what should we do after the end of the series? His biggest challenge is going to be to pick the right attack for every venue to take 20 wickets.”
Monty Panesar urges India to pick spin and play Arshdeep Singh at Edgbaston
Meanwhile, the Englishman expects the pitch at Edgbaston to be dry and spin-friendly, offering a big opportunity for India to include a frontline spinner.
He believes that Kuldeep Yadav or Washington Sundar should be in India’s XI to take advantage of the conditions at Edgbaston.
Panesar suggested that India’s main focus should be on selecting a bowling attack capable of taking 20 wickets, as batting isn’t their concern at all.
He also feels Prasidh Krishna may need a break due to short bowling at Headingley, as he called for Arshdeep Singh’s debut in the second Test.
He signed off by saying, “It’s going to be a turning wicket. Edgbaston is dry. We won’t see much grass from the wicket. I think it will help India. The Edgbaston wicket will suit India. India just needs to work on their bowling."
"We need to take 20 wickets to win a Test match. Ashdeep Singh has to play. Left-arm seam, I think that will cause problems for the England team. Then, they have Mohammed Siraj; maybe Shardul Thakur could play.”
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