'Next hot coaching candidate' - Basit Ali picks Gautam Gambhir's successor

It seems as if India are on a road of transition not only while taking the players into account, but also the coaching staff. Gautam Gambhir has faced a few bumps along the way in a journey which has only recently begun as the head coach of the Indian team. The recent whitewash in the three-match series at home to New Zealand has only added a few additional question marks to the equation.

Meanwhile, former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali has lauded the Indian team management's decision to send Tilak Varma up the order in the South Africa series, a move orchestrated by interim T20I head coach VVS Laxman. He also tipped Laxman to take over from Gambhir in case things go haywire against Australia.

"VVS (Laxman) taught me a thing today. He is the next hot, hot, hot candidate for coaching. He did not send Suryakumar to bat at No. 3 as he wanted to maintain the left-right combination. If the Australia tour does not go well for Gambhir, VVS has emerged as a strong option. The decision to not send Surya at No. 3 is one of those calls that attract attention and end up changing matches," shared Basit in a video on his YouTube channel.

Also Read: ‘He is quite a prickly character’ - Ricky Ponting hits back at Gautam Gambhir after recent comments

Tilak makes the most of promotion, smashes maiden ton

The first couple of T20Is of the ongoing series between South Africa and India had seen Tilak come in at No. 4. However,in the third game at the SuperSport Park in Centurion saw the southpaw at the crease post Sanju Samson's departure on the second delivery of the match.

A blistering knock followed as Varma took the aggressive approach towards the opposition without waiting for long. He ended up unbeaten on 107 off 56, during a knock which comprised eight fours and seven maximums. The decision to send Varma before Suryakumar Yadav paid off big time as India ended up amassing 219 on the board, eventually triumphing by 11 runs.