The 10-point agenda issued by the BCCI to rein in star cricketers after the defeat in Australia and bring “unity and discipline” to the team has received mixed reactions from former veterans and the media. Some people are in favour, while others have criticized it. Meanwhile, former cricketer Harbhajan Singh has raised a significant question about head coach Gautam Gambhir. Bhajji stated that Gambhir’s job is to coach on the field and address the team’s technical flaws, while administrative work should be left to the capable people at the BCCI.

Harbhajan Singh Questions BCCI’s New Code of Conduct Regarding Head Coach’s Role

Recently, head coach Gautam Gambhir, Rohit Sharma, and chief selector Ajit Agarkar reviewed the team’s recent performance with former secretary Jay Shah in a meeting that lasted for about six hours. Following this meeting, some “serious recommendations” were made to the board, most of which were accepted and turned into policy. However, former off-spinner Harbhajan Singh has raised concerns about a specific aspect of the new code of conduct, which requires players to get permission from the head coach before taking certain actions.

Harbhajan Criticizes Head Coach’s Involvement in Administrative Matters

Harbhajan explained, “In our time, it was clearly stated in writing that prior approval from the BCCI was necessary in some cases. In such situations, permission was sought by sending an email to the BCCI for approval. Why does the head coach need to be involved in this matter? This is not his job.” He further emphasized, “Gambhir’s job is to focus on the field and work on the technical flaws of the players. Administrative tasks should be left to the capable and responsible people on the board.”

Harbhajan Compares the Current Situation to the Greg Chappell Era

In his YouTube channel, The Turbanator compared the current situation to the time when Greg Chappell was the coach of the Indian team from 2005 to 2007. He said, “Gautam Gambhir is new, and the players need to understand him. They must develop good chemistry. Nothing will work without it. I saw this before during Greg Chappell’s time when the team was falling apart because players started blaming each other.” He also asked, “How does the media know so much?”

Reflections on the Greg Chappell Era and Its Effect on the Team

The time under Greg Chappell’s coaching is often seen as a dark period for Indian cricket. Internal problems came to light, including a letter from Chappell to the BCCI criticizing Sourav Ganguly. This caused a lot of controversies, and India’s performance went downhill, eventually getting eliminated in the group stage of the 2007 ODI World Cup.