Gautam Gambhir Redefines Coaching-First India Head Coach to Travel with India 'A' Tour

Gautam Gambhir is turning the world of cricket on its head by taking on a challenge no other of his Indian head coaches has been bold enough to complete. With the ICC Champions Trophy done and dusted, it would not come as a shock if most of the cricketers and coaches are queued up to turn their attention towards the Indian Premier League (IPL). But Gambhir has done something else, something that puts the focus on bettering India's cricketing infrastructure than individual succour. The former Test player and present head coach has apparently vowed to accompany the India 'A' team on a tour abroad, turning around a time-honoured practice.

Historically, the job of coaching and keeping an eye on India 'A' and U19 teams has been done by coaches who are a part of the National Cricket Academy (NCA). Legends like Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman have trained these young sides in the past, taking them through domestic and international tours. But ever since Dravid took over as Team India head coach, Laxman and others within the NCA system were supposed to monitor India 'A' and U19 sides.

Gambhir has a different idea, though. Rather than leaving it to the academy coaches, he wants to go out and find and develop promising cricketers himself. As per reports, Gambhir has already apprised the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) of his decision, becoming the first-ever head coach of Team India to do so. His two predecessors, Dravid and Ravi Shastri, never toured with the India 'A' team even though they were in charge of the senior team. Not only does this make Gambhir's move uncommon but also a first in Indian cricket's coaching history.

A Strategic Step Towards India's Red-Ball Cricket Strengthening

The choice of touring with the India 'A' team is not symbolic but also very strategic. Since India's disappointing tour of Australia, Gambhir has been very interested in restoring the country's red-ball cricket might. His plan is centered on taking a holistic view of the pool of talent and keeping young cricketers properly tuned before passing them onto the senior team.

A BCCI official confirmed that Gambhir had been in talks with the board ever since he returned from Australia. He had told the board that he wanted to tour with the India 'A' team so that he could understand the reserve pool of players who might represent India at the highest level someday. This hands-on approach is a major departure from the previous coaching methods, where veteran team head coaches focused exclusively on the first string and left talent spotting and nurturing to NCA staff.

Supporting India 'A' Tours for the Future

Another key part of Gambhir's agenda is revamping and strengthening India 'A' tours. He has said that he feels the quantity of such tours has been too small in recent times. Previously, these positions have offered wannabe cricketers international experience, where they could acquire experience prior to shifting to the senior team. But since Dravid left the NCA, there have been hardly any 'A' series, and those that took place were shadow tours aimed at conditioning players to play in marquee games.

Gambhir has viewed this as a matter of top priority that must be addressed sooner rather than later. He would rather have the India 'A' tours more organized and regular, subjecting Indian cricketers to foreign conditions even more so. By being an active member of one such tour, he wishes to judge for himself and suggest changes that would ease the transition from domestic to international cricket for the young players.

The Impact of Gambhir's Leadership on Indian Cricket

Gambhir's foray into India 'A' is a demonstration of his adherence to Indian cricket's long-term vision. Against the traditional grain of coaches is a sign of his dreams of establishing an improved development pipe-line for India. He does not mind doing only for the seniors; he wants to look at the next lot of players well-prepared and capable of continuing India's cricket domination on the world scene.

This strategy has already started to harvest its fruits. Gambhir played a crucial role in the triumph of India over the Champions Trophy, his insistence to play some of those wildcard picks proving fruitful. With his recent success, it is conceivable that he will continue to wield his authority in deciding the team's future games.

A New Era of Coaching-Looking Forward

Since Gambhir is part of India 'A' tours, a trend is being created for the future head coaches. If his model works, then it can turn the process of India creating cricketing stars around. Instead of being two disparate setups, senior team and India 'A' team could get more integrated with one philosophy.

The cricketing world will be following with interest how this move turns out. If this move pays off, Gambhir's plan can be the new standard for head coaches to make India a cricket giant by developing talent at all levels.

So far, Gambhir's coming into the breach has been a testament to his commitment and vision. In shattering the conventional coaching matrix, he is not only placing a bet on the future of Indian cricketing, but also redefining the equation for a head coach of the game in the new world order.