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Former India opener and teammate of Gautam Gambhir, Wasim Jaffer, suggested that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) consider split coaching given the increasing international fixtures involving the India National Cricket Team.
Amid the packed schedules throughout the year, Gautam Gambhir serves the Indian cricket team in all three formats as the head coach. With back-to-back tours, ICC and other series, and all the travelling due to the matches, Gautam Gambhir carries a massive workload on his back.
Gautam Gambhir's record in Test as India head coach is not up to the mark
Gautam Gambhir’s performance as the coach can be influenced due to the extended workload. Gautam Gambhir enjoys a fair rate of success across the white-ball formats; the team’s performance in the Tests is far from satisfying.
Under the coaching of the former India opener, the Men in Blue won the 2025 Champions Trophy in the ODI format and the 2026 T20 World Cup title. In the longest format, the Gambhir-coached Men in Blue have won just six of their 18 Test, losing 10 and drawing a couple.
Wasim Jaffer explains why BCCI should consider split coaching theory
Speaking on his official YouTube channel, Wasim Jaffer mentioned that, as the game is evolving at a fast pace with a lot of emerging talents, the duty for a head coach to serve the team in all three formats has become very challenging. Therefore, given the modern nature of the game, the former cricketer shows his trust in split coaching theory.
“I think, going forward, we'll start seeing these things happen more often. A lot of players come and go, the formats change frequently, and there's very little time to settle in. So, in my opinion, it makes sense. Whether it actually happens or not remains to be seen. Usually, decisions like these are taken when teams are losing. When you're winning, neither the players nor, obviously, the support staff are changed very much,” Wasim Jaffer opined in his video.
Upcoming Test series will be acid tests for the Indian cricket team
In the same video, Jaffer further mentioned that India’s upcoming Tests against Sri Lanka, New Zealand, and Australia could be decisive in shaping the team’s future in the format. Currently, Team India is ranked fifth in the ongoing World Test Championship (WTC) points table, requiring the team to win most of the upcoming matches if the team wants to qualify for the final of the championship.
“The upcoming series against Sri Lanka, New Zealand, and Australia is huge. I think this will be a real testing period because, as far as I know, we need to win almost 90% of our remaining matches to qualify for the World Test Championship final. That will be the acid test for both the players and the coaching staff,” Wasim Jaffer said.
“I don't believe Sri Lanka will be that difficult for the Indian team. India should be able to beat Sri Lanka, but the series against New Zealand and Australia will be the real test,” he added.
