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While Harbhajan Singh opined that there is no harm in adopting split-coaching in the Indian team, he believes that such a move is not needed at the moment. His comments came on the backdrop of harsh criticism directed at India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir after the red-ball performances of the Asian giants have dipped considerably during his reign.
Harbhajan came to the aid of his former teammate, urging the stakeholders of Indian cricket to show a bit more patience with him.
“In India, it is our tradition that if the team plays well, everyone is quiet, but as soon as the team plays poorly, we get on top of the coach,” Harbhajan was quoted as saying by India Today.
“Gautam Gambhir does not go there to play. When he was playing, he played well. He played very well for India. Everyone needs to be patient. If you feel you need to split the coaching, such as adopting a policy of one white-ball coach and one red-ball coach, then there is no need to do so for now. But over time, if needed, you should definitely do it. There is nothing wrong with that,” he added.
While India’s red-ball performances have been dismal, they have been on fire in the white-ball formats, especially in T20I cricket. They have not lost a T20I series since Gambhir took charge after the T20 World Cup in 2024.
India are one of the favourites heading into the T20 World Cup, which will be held from February 7 to March 9. They are placed in Group A with the USA, Namibia, Netherlands, and Pakistan. Ahead of the 20-team global extravaganza, India will face New Zealand in eight white-ball matches.
The Men in Blue face the Kiwis in a three-match ODI series, starting on Sunday, January 11. After the ODIs, the two behemoths of world cricket will collide in a five-match T20I series, which promises to be the ideal dress rehearsal before the T20 World Cup.
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