ENG vs IND 2025: There is no stability in Gambhir’s selection approach, says Manoj Tiwary

ENG vs IND 2025: There is no stability in Gambhir’s selection approach, says Manoj Tiwary(Source: Manoj Tiwary/Instagram and Danny Lawson/PA Images via Getty Images)

Former Indian cricketer Manoj Tiwary has publicly raised concerns over head coach Gautam Gambhir’s strategy, particularly criticising his overreliance on all-rounders and a perceived lack of trust in specialist players. While Gambhir has no prior coaching experience, he mentored Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to an IPL 2024 title.

Tiwary, who shared the KKR dressing room with Gambhir during their playing days, believes that the Indian Test team currently lacks continuity and clear direction under the new leadership. He acknowledged that Gambhir may have instilled a fearless mindset in the white-ball formats, but feels the red-ball setup is suffering in contrast.

“I have said it earlier also that Test matches are a game of specialists but we’re keeping them out and trusting all-rounders more,” Tiwary said.

“Since the arrival of head coach (Gautam Gambhir), there is a pattern of dropping underperforming players from the squad and adding players from the outside. This we’ve seen in the India-Zealand series, when we brought Washington Sundar from outside over Ashwin, who was in the squad,” he added.

Tiwary pointed out the inconsistency in team selections under Gambhir, highlighting how recent decisions during the England series reflect a lack of clarity. He noted that Sai Sudharsan was picked for the first Test but dropped immediately after. At the same time, Karun Nair was pushed up to No. 3. He also cited Harshit Rana’s surprise debut in Australia, only to find himself out of the setup since. Now Anshul Kamboj being handed a debut in the Manchester Test.

“On the Australia tour, we played Devdutt Padikkal and Harshit Rana. Now, Harshit is missing and not among favourites anymore as we’re playing Anshul Kamboj in this Test,” Tiwary said.

Tiwary believes that Gambhir’s constant chopping and changing is disrupting the team’s core, stressing that players need to be backed over a longer duration to build confidence and consistency. He also questioned the continued omission of Kuldeep Yadav, calling it one of the most puzzling decisions, especially given Kuldeep’s proven ability to be a match-winner.

“There is no stability and he is not able to trust his players for a long duration. His thinking of playing part-time all-rounders and winning a Test match is not possible. The players who have played for a long time, including me, I’m a strong believer of specialist players,” Tiwary added.

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