Gautam Gambhir's Future As India Coach Under Scrutiny Over England Series? Ex-Star Says: "BCCI Will Slowly..."

Former England spinner Monty Panesar has raised key concerns about Gautam Gambhir’s early days as India’s head coach, pointing to the team’s bowling as the major area of worry. As India gets ready to face England in the second Test at Edgbaston on July 2, pressure is mounting on Gambhir following a defeat in the series opener—a match where India held a strong first-innings advantage but failed to defend a big target. Notably, India became the first team in Test history to lose despite five batters scoring hundreds in the same match.

Speaking to IANS, Panesar emphasized the need for Gambhir to prove himself beyond just improving the batting. “The problem is that if Gautam has the ability to make his team into a good batting unit, he then needs to show the ability to make the team into a good bowling unit. Fans are going to troll. They're going to come after Gautam Gambhir,” Panesar said. He further questioned whether Gambhir has the vision and tactical insight to build a bowling unit capable of taking 20 wickets in English conditions.

Panesar added that Gambhir’s success as a coach would ultimately hinge on his ability to select and manage the right bowling combinations across different venues. “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? That's his biggest challenge right now in England,” Panesar continued. “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?”

Edgbaston Expected to Turn, Kuldeep or Sundar Could Be Key

Panesar also gave insights into the likely conditions for the second Test at Edgbaston, predicting a surface that could assist spinners. “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,” he said, suggesting that bowling remains the primary challenge for India despite their strong batting. “India just needs to work out, right? Batting isn't the problem. It's bowling. We need to take 20 wickets to win a Test match.”

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Backing the idea of going with a spin-heavy attack, Panesar advised India to consider Kuldeep Yadav or Washington Sundar. He also called for left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh’s inclusion, believing he could trouble England’s batting lineup. “From that point of view, I think Prasidh Krishna bowls too short; maybe give him a rest. Bumrah, I think, will rest anyway. Kuldeep Yadav comes in, or Washington Sundar, one of the others, to play an extra spinner. Ashdeep Singh has to play,” he said. “Then, they have Mohammed Siraj; maybe Shardul Thakur could play.”