All the Indian cricket fans were left heartbroken after India skipper Rohit Sharma called time on his Test career. As everyone was dealing with the grief of Rohit’s departure, another blast came within few days with star batter Virat Kohli also announcing his retirement from Tests. Before Rohit and Virat, all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin also hung his boots during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia in December 2024. With three star players retiring from a format, it is safe to say that the Indian Test team is going through a transition phase under the head coach Gautam Gambhir.
Recently, former Indian cricketer Atul Wassan was asked regarding the transition phase in the team and he gave a balanced answer by mentioning the tenures of Gary Kirsten and John Wright.
“It happens because a new coach is usually appointed when the team loses something. Nobody wants to fix something that is not broken. So when that new phase arrives and you think you want to rebuild…but then there is a lack of patience. You need to keep in mind that there are big players who might think that their rules are getting disrupted,” said Wassan on the OTTPlay App.
“They are very powerful in the Indian team. You know what happened. They won’t let it happen. So you can do it like Gary Kirsten and John Wright, who made that transition smoothly. ‘Saam Daam Dand Bhed (persuasion, reward, punishment, and divide)’ you should know it all, if you want to survive in Indian cricket,” he added.
Wassan further stated that in order to achieve the desired results, the BCCI should give a free-hand to head coach Gambhir.
“Whichever coach comes, comes with the dogma. You have to give him a free hand. If you’re a very strong personality, you’re given a free hand. And if you don’t deliver, you have to be out,” said Wassan.
“It’s not as if you make all your choices, but in the end, you cannot guarantee results. There has to be some balance, some kind of mentorship has to be there from the board,” he added.
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