Following the retirements of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma from Test cricket, India head coach Guatam Gambhir has reportedly demanded full authority from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for the team's day-to-day operations. Ever since his appointment as head coach, Gambhir has been adamant to end superstar culture within the team. And it seems that he might have played a big hand in forcing Rohit and Kohli from the Test set up, with an eye on the future.
Rohit and Kohli's sudden announcement came days ahead of India's squad selection for the upcoming Test series in England. The team is guaranteed to have a new captain, with Shubman Gill and Jasprit Bumrah leading the race to wear the blazer at toss when the first Test gets underway in Leeds on June 20.
According to a report in Dainik Bhaskar, Gambhir is likely to call the shots, as far as team selection, policy-making and other team related decisions are concerned, since there is no one left to challenge his calls. This will mark the first instance of an Indian head coach having more power than the captain.
"In order to stop a repeat of the home-series defeat against New Zealand and the debacle in Australia, Gambhir has requested the board for full autonomy," the report said.
The report added that Gambhir would like to have a captain in Gill, who can be his associate as he is still young. The only player who can challenge Gambhir's current team is the other frontrunner in captaincy race -- Bumrah.
Bumrah was Rohit's designated deputy in Test cricket, which makes him an automatic captaincy choice ideally. He even served as the stand-in captain in Perth and led the side when Rohit opted out in the final Test in Sydney. However, his injury record could be the reason behind Gill getting the nod.
If that happens, it's safe to say that it's indeed the beginning of the 'Gautam Gambhir' era. However, Gambhir will only have this authority in Test cricket as both Rohit and Kohli are gearing in full force to play the 2027 ODI World Cup.