Shane Watson criticises India's form under Gambhir, points to team changes

Former Australian all-rounder Shane Watson has questioned the efficiency of India head coach Gautam Gambhir, pointing to a lack of stability in the team. Since Gambhir took charge in mid-2024, India has won the Champions Trophy and the T20 World Cup. Yet the team has struggled in Test matches at home, losing series to New Zealand and South Africa. India also dropped an ODI series at home to New Zealand, lost matches to Australia and England over the past year, and faced T20 series losses against Ireland and England in July. Watson spoke on the YouTube channel of Prime Video about these results. He stated that the main issue is constant shuffling in the playing eleven and the batting order. According to him, players constantly moving in and out leaves the team unsettled and hurts overall consistency. At the same time, Watson praised Gambhir for supporting his squad. He highlighted wicket-keeper Sanju Samson as an example, noting that Gambhir backed him and Samson delivered strong performances in the T20 World Cup knockout matches. Watson believes that if the team maintains better continuity in selection, they will become extremely difficult to defeat.

Context

International cricket teams often debate whether to stick with a stable group of players or rotate squad members to manage fatigue and test different options. Frequent changes can sometimes disrupt a player's rhythm, while backing individuals through lean patches can build long-term confidence.