Gautam Gambhir will now be responsible for whatever is happening in the Indian team – Dinesh Karthik

Former India wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik has suggested that head coach Gautam Gambhir should be given more time. The Royal Challengers Bangalore batting coach and mentor believes that India drawing the series with England has given Gambhir some time to hone his skills as a coach in red-ball cricket.

Karthik believes Gambhir is still learning on the job as he doesn’t have much experience of coaching in the longest format of the game. Karthik feels Gambhir has taken it upon himself to shape the future of the Indian cricket team.

“As of now, I think he is on his own path now. Now he will be responsible for whatever is happening in the Indian team. If he does well, he will get the credit. If he doesn’t do well, I think he should raise his hand and say, ‘No, I think we made a mistake here.’ As of now, I think he should be proud of the hard work of the players and the backroom staff over the last month and a half,” Karthik told Cricbuzz.

Gautam has given opportunities to many young talents: Karthik

“I think Gautam Gambhir had a very ordinary home series against New Zealand, and that’s obvious. He struggled against Australia as well. And if India had lost 1-3 in England, I would have said it completely differently. But I think he has taken charge of this team now. He has handpicked this team. He has backed many young talents,” Karthik said.

Focus on taking 20 wickets instead of playing it safe: Karthik

“One thing I would request him to do is to be as serious about taking 20 wickets as he is about batting depth. That’s very important in Test matches. I think he is a great limited-overs coach—the results are there for everyone to see. But in Test cricket, he is learning on the job. He is a young coach. He hasn’t coached many five-day matches or domestic cricket to get that much experience.” “In the limited-overs format, he has certainly done more, which is why he looks much more comfortable in that format. I think he is learning as he goes. We don’t know what kind of message he gives in the dressing room, but it is clear that these players are full of passion – it was evident at the Oval. You can almost say that he has picked a team that won’t lose,” he added.