Zaheer warns Gambhir: ‘Your insecurity might backfire!’

Right now, India’s white-ball strategy under head coach Gautam Gambhir remains unpredictable. Former teammate Zaheer Khan, India’s highest wicket-taker in the 2011 World Cup, warns this could backfire soon.

India has shuffled opening pairs and No. 3 batters in almost every match against England. Only Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma remained consistent openers in T20Is. However, even that spot looks uncertain in ODIs before the Champions Trophy.

Yashasvi Jaiswal opened alongside Rohit Sharma in the first ODI, replacing Shubman Gill. Initially, fans assumed this was due to Virat Kohli’s absence. But Shreyas Iyer later revealed that Jaiswal’s selection was pre-planned, while he played only because of Kohli’s injury.

This raises key questions. Will Gambhir push Gill to No. 4 in the Champions Trophy? Kohli won’t move down in ODIs. Benching Shreyas Iyer seems unlikely, given his 50-plus average. Adding to the confusion, Axar Patel batted at No. 5 in both ODIs, ahead of KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya.

Zaheer believes flexibility is good but warns against overdoing it. He stresses the need for clear guidelines to prevent insecurity among players.

“You want flexibility, but it should follow certain rules. Some communication must happen to streamline things. Otherwise, insecurity sets in, and that can hurt the team later,” Zaheer told Cricbuzz.

He pointed out a key difference between Rahul Dravid’s and Gambhir’s coaching styles. He believes the captain, coach, selectors, and players must align for this approach to succeed.

“Recency bias plays a strong role here. The situation is dynamic when comparing Dravid’s and Gambhir’s methods. You can call it good, bad, or ugly. But adaptation is key. Everyone—management, players, and selectors—must stay in sync for the system to work,” Zaheer added.

India’s approach remains fluid, but without clear direction, this uncertainty could prove costly.