Gautam Gambhir was appointed Indian cricket team head coach after Rahul Dravid's tenure ended following the T20 World Cup 2024 triumph. It was a fresh chapter for the team as the trio of Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja, and Rohit Sharma also announced their retirement from T20Is. While the names of WV Raman and National Cricket Academy (NCA) chief VVS Laxman did make the rounds, Gambhir ultimately emerged as the top contender. While the move was welcomed by the majority of experts and fans, former Pakistan cricketer Tanveer Ahmed believes that Gambhir did not deserve the role.
Tanveer took to social media to call Gambhir's appointment a 'parchi' case and added that VVS Laxman should have been appointed the head coach due to his work with the youngsters.
The word 'parchi' refers to someone making the team based on "sources or recommendations".
"VVS Laxman should have become the head coach of the Indian team because he has been with the India B team as coach for a long time. It seems as if Gautam Gambhir's appointment is a 'parchi' case," the former Pakistan cricket team star posted on X (formerly known as Twitter).
Meanwhile, the new head coach Gautam Gambhir on Tuesday took charge of the Indian men's cricket team as the visitors hit the ground running in their first practice session, ahead of three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka.
Gambhir, who replaced the legendary Rahul Dravid at the helm, led the team to the ground and oversaw the training session which included fielding drills and sessions with the players.
The training session was mostly around running, catching and one-on-one interactions. The new T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav was also involved in an interaction with the players. Gambhir was seen giving some batting tips to Sanju Samson and had a chat with all-rounder Shivam Dube.
(With PTI inputs)