Gautam Gambhir To Sacrifice Free Time; To Become First Indian Team Head Coach To Do This

Three days have passed since the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 victory, and Gautam Gambhir has already begun to look ahead to the future. The head coach of India is scheduled to visit England with the A squad before the five-match Test series between the two teams, according to reports in the Times of India.

As the Indian Test coach, Gautam Gambhir has come under intense scrutiny. Things have been tough for the team ever since he assumed the position. After New Zealand defeated them 3-0 last year, they suffered their first-ever home defeat, and the Rohit Sharma-led team had a dismal tour of Australia.

India vs England to be the next assignment for Gautam Gambhir

The Pat Cummins-led team crushed India 3-1 in the five-match series, humiliating Gambhir's team in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024–25. As a result, the team captained by Rohit Sharma was ousted from both the ICC World Test Championship 2025 final and a position where they appeared to be favorites.

The five-match Test series against England will be India's next task. Additionally, this will be the start of the ICC World Test Championship's new cycle. According to reports, head coach Gambhir began making plans for it in January of this year and would like to start it off on a strong note.

Gautam Gambhir to travel with India A team to England

According to a source close to the BCCI, Gambhir claimed that as soon as he got back from Australia, he wanted to go to England with India A. Additionally, he stated that before the Test tour, the head coach himself wished to keep an eye on the reserve pool.

"Gambhir has been in discussions with the BCCI since he returned from Australia. He has expressed his desire to travel with the India 'A' team to get a clearer view of the reserve pool. With India winning the Champions Trophy after Gambhir's insistence for certain wild card players, one may expect him to assert more in the future,” a source told Times of India.

Gambhir is interested in building the future of the Indian team

Gautam Gambhir will be the first Indian coach to accompany the developmental team on their trip if this occurs. Since the players will be participating in the Indian Premier League (IPL), the head coach will now take a two-month holiday.

According to the sources, Gautam Gambhir wants to personally assess the situation and wants more A tours. As was the case when Rahul Dravid oversaw the National Cricket Academy, the head coach hopes to bring back the shadow tours.

The source added: "One of the crucial issues identified is reviving India 'A' tours. There have been only a handful of series after Dravid left NCA and all of those were shadow tours for a marquee series. Gambhir, too, believes that there needs to be more 'A' tours. That's why he wants to take stock of the situation firsthand."

Also Read: Varun Chakaravarthy’s Epic ‘Tea’ Post On India’s ‘Unfair Advantage’ Kills Pakistan