Reports: Gautam Gambhir was not the first-choice coach, his position is not safe

Gautam Gambhir took over the reins after Rahul Dravid's tenure as India's head coach ended following the T20 World Cup 2024 in June. The former India opener didn't have any major coaching experience but the decision-makers in the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) appointed him after his successful stint as the mentor of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), who won the Indian Premier League (IPL) title this year.

During his tenure, India have seen some disappointing results, losing an ODI series against Sri Lanka before being whitewashed by New Zealand at home. The ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy has not been ideal as the Rohit Sharma-led side has squandered a 1-0 lead after winning the first Test to fall 1-2 behind. India will have to win the fifth and final Test against Australia to retain the coveted Border-Gavaskar Trophy and keep their World Test Championship (WTC) hopes alive.

According to the latest report, Gambhir's position as the head coach might be under serious threat if India's performances don't improve ahead of the Champions Trophy in February-March.

"There is a Test match to be played and then there is Champions Trophy. If the performance doesn't improve, even Gautam Gambhir's position wouldn't be safe," a senior BCCI official was quoted as saying by India Today on conditions of anonymity.

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It is also being understood that Gambhir's communication with his players hasn't been great. His predecessors, Dravid and Ravi Shastri had clear communications with the players. He hasn't earned a lot of confidence from the group of players, who aren't as experienced as Kohli or Rohit but are also not greenhorns like Harshit Rana or Nitish Reddy.

Laxman was first choice for India Head Coach: BCCI Official

Also, the BCCI official made a startling revelation, saying that National Cricket Academy (NCA) head VVS Laxman was the first choice to take up coaching and not Gambhir.

"He was never BCCI's first choice (it was VVS Laxman) and some of the well-known overseas names didn't want to coach all three formats, so he was a compromise. Obviously, some other compulsions were also there," the official said.