BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla has firmly dismissed speculation surrounding Gautam Gambhir’s future as India’s Test coach following the recent home series loss to South Africa. Echoing BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia’s stance, Shukla made it clear that the board is not entertaining any thoughts of a change in the coaching setup, effectively putting an end to the rumour mill around the team’s support staff.
Gautam Gambhir has come under the scanner after India lost three Test series within 12 months under his coaching, two of them at home against New Zealand and South Africa — a rare occurrence given India’s dominance in home conditions over the past decade. His red-ball approach and tactics have often been questioned, with critics unconvinced by his methods and team selections. Gambhir has tended to prioritise batting depth by opting for more all-rounders and fewer specialists. The retirements of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Ravichandran Ashwin have further pushed India into a challenging transition phase, with the team still searching for the right answers.
BCCI vice-president Shukla has firmly rubbished speculation around Gautam Gambhir’s future as India’s Test coach, calling the reports baseless and misleading. Addressing the growing chatter in the media, Shukla made it clear that the board is fully backing the current coaching setup and is not considering any changes at this stage.
“The matter that has been run in the media regarding Gautam Gambhir, on this issue I want to make it absolutely clear that the secretary has also clearly said there is nothing of this sort at all – there is no question right now of removing, changing, or bringing in any other coach. This is just a needless round of speculation that has been started in the media, it is completely wrong, and such speculation should not be encouraged,” Shukla told ANI.
Also Read – Virat Kohli-Rohit Sharma Test retirements back under the lens, exits termed ‘not natural’: ‘Can see hunger back in eyes’
“No truth to Gambhir rumours”
Earlier, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia had also come out strongly to dismiss reports questioning Gautam Gambhir’s future, branding them as completely baseless and speculative. Reacting to the claims, Saikia categorically denied any such discussions within the board, stressing that no steps have been taken and the rumours were purely a product of imagination.
“This is totally incorrect news going on. This is totally speculative news. Some very reputed news agencies are also flashing the news. There is no truth to it. BCCI straight away denies. People can think all they want, but BCCI has not taken any steps. This is somebody’s figment of imagination; there is no truth in it, and I cannot say anything except that this is factually incorrect and baseless news,” Saikia also told ANI.
