“Gautam Gambhir will be…”- Temba Bavuma reacts to Indian head coach’s future

South Africa’s Test captain, Temba Bavuma, under whom the Proteas won their maiden red-ball series in India, feels that the Indian head coach, Gautam Gambhir, would be under tremendous pressure to handle the transition of the red-ball side. Bavuma steered the 2-0 Test series win over the blue brigade in November and reflected on how India remained a dominant ODI side.

After losing the Test series, India returned in full force to win both the ODI and T20I series, where Bavuma pointed out the spark that Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, the two veterans of the game, brought to the 50-over format. At the same time, the same thing happened under the leadership of Suryakumar Yadav in T20Is, along with the all-rounder Hardik Pandya and fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah.

“You saw how India performed in the ODI space with their two stalwarts, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, versus in the Test game, where those two weren’t available for selection. When it comes to the red-ball stuff, India is definitely a team in transition.” Bavuma wrote in his ESPNcricinfo column.

Temba Bavuma reflects on Gautam Gambhir's Test future in coaching

Bavuma remarked that Gambhir and his boys will need to find a way to get back to the best of Tests under the leadership of Shubman Gill. He felt that having Kohli and Rohit in the side on the road to the ODI World Cup 2027 in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia would take pressure off Gambhir.

“India coach Gautam Gambhir has a lot of pressure on his shoulders, and I think he is going to have to take it as it comes. He is going to have to find a way to buy himself time in the red-ball game, and I’m of the view that the performances in white-ball cricket may assist him.” Bavuma penned down.

“In ODIs, Kohli and Rohit will naturally take on a lot more responsibility from a performance and leadership point of view. So I think Gambhir will be okay in terms of his position. However, from a red-ball point of view, it’s going to be tough for this Indian team in the near future.” He added.