Will BCCI turn to split-coaching if Gautam Gambhir’s bid to win Test series in England fails?

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) was against split captaincy. But now, the India Cricket Team has three captains in three different formats. They are against split coaching. However, in Gautam Gambhir’s era, India have lost two consecutive Test series, including a whitewash at home to New Zealand and a thrashing in Australia. In England, India are 0-1 down in a five-match Test series. In the Gambhir era, India have just won three Tests out of 11, losing as many as seven matches. So, if Gambhir’s bid to win a Test series in England fails, will BCCI turn to split coaching?

Team India never had split coaching. For sure, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, and other coaches from the National Cricket Academy stepped in during parallel tours. But with many teams following a split coaching formula to reduce workload on coaches and focus on one or two formats, will the BCCI follow suit?

“At the moment, Gambhir is doing a good job with a young team. In transition, you do not always get the intended results. Australia and England both struggled during their transitions. So, it’s premature to take a call on Gambhir. We still have four Test matches in England and we are hopeful that we can turn things around. Beyond that, we will see. He (Gambhir) has full trust of the board,” a BCCI official told InsideSport.

The Gautam Gambhir era

While he has been in the job for barely a year, Gautam Gambhir has already delivered the ICC Champions Trophy. In T20Is, India have been the most dominant force. The only blot for Gambhir in white-ball format would be an ODI series defeat in Sri Lanka.

However, in Test cricket, his record as the coach has been abysmal. While many would argue that Team India has been in a transition period, the fact is that there was a transition even during Rahul Dravid’s tenure. Dravid tested many players after phasing out Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane.

During Gambhir’s tenure, India have won just three Tests, including two at home against Bangladesh and one against Australia away. Barring that, he has had no success. India failed to reach the WTC Final 2025 despite Dravid leaving India in a good position to qualify.

“I feel one more England tour. I don’t think the BCCI will say anything to him until then. After the England tour, it will be a year since he took over the reins. You were supposed to ensure transition within one year. So how he did there, which players he prepared, and whether the team’s performances have improved, a review can be done for him,” former India opener Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube channel.

India in Tests since Gautam Gambhir took over

Result	Opponent	Margin	Venue	Start Date
Won	Bangladesh	280 runs	Chennai	19 Sep 2024
Won	Bangladesh	7 wickets	Kanpur	27 Sep 2024
Lost	New Zealand	8 wickets	Bengaluru	16 Oct 2024
Lost	New Zealand	113 runs	Pune	24 Oct 2024
Lost	New Zealand	25 runs	Wankhede	1 Nov 2024
Won	Australia	295 runs	Perth	22 Nov 2024
Lost	Australia	10 wickets	Adelaide	6 Dec 2024
Draw	Australia	–	Brisbane	14 Dec 2024
Lost	Australia	184 runs	Melbourne	26 Dec 2024
Lost	Australia	6 wickets	Sydney	3 Jan 2025
Lost	England	5 wickets	Leeds	20 Jun 2025

Will BCCI turn to split coaching?

While BCCI has been opposed to the idea, it’s not that the Indian board hasn’t discussed it internally. There was a notion to hand over Test reins to VVS Laxman, with Gambhir solely in charge of the white-ball set-up after the Border-Gavaskar Trophy humiliation. However, many believe that India’s poor results are due to the transition phase and sacking Gambhir after BGT 2024-25 would have been a knee-jerk reaction. Hence, BCCI trusted Gambhir, phasing out two non-performers, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Both stalwarts of Indian cricket struggled for form in red-ball.

With the T20 World Cup in 2026, the BCCI may not want to demolish the existing structure. However, in Tests, the result of the England tour could force the BCCI to take a call.

If India win, draw, or lose the Test series by the barest of margins in England, Gambhir will be safe. However, if India go down without a fight, Gambhir’s position as the head coach of the red-ball team, at least, could be in jeopardy. The Indian board could be forced to go for split coaching.

Is VVS Laxman the answer?

After Dravid decided to call it quits, NCA chief VVS Laxman was the strongest candidate. However, the former India batter was not in favour of travelling with the squad. However, a red-ball-only role is different. India will only travel to Sri Lanka and New Zealand for short Test tours in the WTC 2025-27 cycle. The rest of the matches will be in India.

Hence, Laxman could be a viable option. He also enjoys a great rapport with Gambhir. However, if he decides against it, there will be many who would be interested in taking up the red-ball-only role.

India during Gautam Gambhir era

Format	Mat	Won	Lost	Draw/Tied	NR	HS	LS	Win%
Test	11	3	7	1	1	487	46	31.82
ODI	11	8	2	1	0	356	138	77.27
T20I	18	15	2	1	0	297	–	86.11