Opinion The Third Edit: Gautam Gambhir and the Melbourne meltdown

India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir was understandably angered by his team’s Melbourne Meltdown and gave the players a mouthful. He warned them of repercussions — if they don’t perform, he would not hesitate from taking extreme measures, irrespective of reputation or other indications of promise. Even the calmest are not immune to a flare of temper in stormy times. The legendary Manchester United coach Alex Ferguson once accidentally kicked a boot in the direction of his team’s star, David Beckham. Liverpool’s ex-manager Gérard Houllier gave a dressing down so severe that he was taken to hospital with a suspected heart attack.

But there is more to the story of a coach cracking the whip after a loss. This Indian team is wading through a classic transitional tumult. The old hands Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja are fading; R Ashwin has retired in the middle of the series, Mohammed Shami is injury-riddled, the new wave of Nitish Kumar Reddy, Dhruv Jurel and Harshit Rana is still to settle in. Some are busy harbouring captaincy ambitions and others exude a sense of exaggerated self-importance. Managing this team could be the hardest task yet in Gambhir’s cricketing career — tougher than forging a successful career in the most competitive era for Indian batsmen.

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Gambhir’s responsibilities are many. The immediate focus would be on winning the Sydney Test and retaining the BGT. But given that planning behind the scenes will take time to reflect in results, perhaps his successor would reap the benefits of his labour. He has to phase out senior players, be both sympathetic and assertive. He needs to be on the same wavelength and frequency as his support staff, the selectors, the board and his own players. It’s a tightrope, but one that he has to balance on. Whether and how he does so will help script a fascinating chapter in the history of Indian cricket as well as in his own record.