Interesting take but possibly true. I go back to Sharda Ugra's write on how the regime tried to saffronise the World Cup including forcing a saffron kit on to the team (it was rejected thankfully). There is no doubt that the show is run by Shah Sr and junior is only a front! Gambhir is obviously another attempt to control the same narrative. Sad but true
As an Indian, I can say that you’re not wrong about anything here (except that anyone will look to blame anyone for a Test series loss - I don’t think that matters as much to them). At least as an Indian we can say that the situation is perhaps slightly better than it is in other sports (eg wrestling), because in another world, Jay Shah might appoint himself the coach of the team as well. At least it’s someone who has played professional cricket. Yes, I realize how low a standard that is.
If this is a political appointment, and I won't deny circumstantial evidence does suggest so, the answer to your final question has played out multiple times in the past ten years. If India win, it's GG's to savor, but if they lose, it's Rohit Sharma's team.
The current dispensation's efforts to capture cricket are real. Even earlier, state/ district associations and even BCCI jobs were captured by politicians; but Congress, BJP and regional party politicians shared these jobs with each other. Thye BJP now wants to keep it all to itself.
However, I do think that it takes quite a bit of conjecture and even a leap of faith to claim that Gambhir's is a political appointment. Gambhir is a BJP guy, but so are many others in India at this point. As for his limited cricketing and coaching credentials, they exceed Shastri's. I agree that he is a bad pick for coach, especially for the red ball side, but not surprised at his appointment given how IPL-centred cricketing narrative has become in India.
He was a sitting MP from the BJP though. What this article reports is that he met Shah before taking a break from politics to get into coaching. I think it is a bit of a stretch to describe that as paying obeisance.
I despise Gambhir's and his party's politics. It is not just their ideology that is despicable, but also the deeply undemocratic manner in which they are imposing it upon India. It is very much BJP's design to capture cricket and bollywood, just as they have captured TV news and have been saffronizing higher education. However, I do not believe that picking of Gambhir as coach is the best illustration/ strongest evidence of that.
Maybe; maybe not. I find it interesting that the most prestigious and powerful coaching job in cricket had one applicant, and that the applicant had a long-term political association. I'm not sure things like that occur by chance.
Gideon , are you an Indian hiding behind a firangi name ? Excuse me but I am not sure how can an outsider understand and write about the whole circus being played out so pointedly well ! 😅
Gideon , are you an Indian hiding behind a firangi name ? Excuse me but I am not sure how can an outsider understand and write about the whole circus being played out so pointedly well ! 😅
Well, we didn't need to wait till BGT to know what Gambhir is all about. It happened much earlier.
Interesting take but possibly true. I go back to Sharda Ugra's write on how the regime tried to saffronise the World Cup including forcing a saffron kit on to the team (it was rejected thankfully). There is no doubt that the show is run by Shah Sr and junior is only a front! Gambhir is obviously another attempt to control the same narrative. Sad but true
> characterised by sycophancy, prickliness, indiscipline and non-achievement
Sadly applies to far more than his tenure in Parliament.
As an Indian, I can say that you’re not wrong about anything here (except that anyone will look to blame anyone for a Test series loss - I don’t think that matters as much to them). At least as an Indian we can say that the situation is perhaps slightly better than it is in other sports (eg wrestling), because in another world, Jay Shah might appoint himself the coach of the team as well. At least it’s someone who has played professional cricket. Yes, I realize how low a standard that is.
Jay Shah may effectively be coach already, Lokhtar!
If this is a political appointment, and I won't deny circumstantial evidence does suggest so, the answer to your final question has played out multiple times in the past ten years. If India win, it's GG's to savor, but if they lose, it's Rohit Sharma's team.
You've said it for me, Chirag.
The current dispensation's efforts to capture cricket are real. Even earlier, state/ district associations and even BCCI jobs were captured by politicians; but Congress, BJP and regional party politicians shared these jobs with each other. Thye BJP now wants to keep it all to itself.
However, I do think that it takes quite a bit of conjecture and even a leap of faith to claim that Gambhir's is a political appointment. Gambhir is a BJP guy, but so are many others in India at this point. As for his limited cricketing and coaching credentials, they exceed Shastri's. I agree that he is a bad pick for coach, especially for the red ball side, but not surprised at his appointment given how IPL-centred cricketing narrative has become in India.
I take your point about the IPL-centric narrative, Abraham, but those images of Gambhir paying obeisance to Amit Shah are a little hard to look away from: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/sports/gautam-gambhir-meets-home-minister-amit-shah/articleshow/111060497.cms?from=mdr
He was a sitting MP from the BJP though. What this article reports is that he met Shah before taking a break from politics to get into coaching. I think it is a bit of a stretch to describe that as paying obeisance.
I despise Gambhir's and his party's politics. It is not just their ideology that is despicable, but also the deeply undemocratic manner in which they are imposing it upon India. It is very much BJP's design to capture cricket and bollywood, just as they have captured TV news and have been saffronizing higher education. However, I do not believe that picking of Gambhir as coach is the best illustration/ strongest evidence of that.
Maybe; maybe not. I find it interesting that the most prestigious and powerful coaching job in cricket had one applicant, and that the applicant had a long-term political association. I'm not sure things like that occur by chance.
Thing about Dravid is that it seems he's apolitical but he did attend a RSS meeting while he was the national captain.
I went to a Celine Dion concert once - didn't make me a fan!
Gideon , are you an Indian hiding behind a firangi name ? Excuse me but I am not sure how can an outsider understand and write about the whole circus being played out so pointedly well ! 😅
Gideon , are you an Indian hiding behind a firangi name ? Excuse me but I am not sure how can an outsider understand and write about the whole circus being played out so pointedly well ! 😅
I have an Indian love of cricket, Tarun!