Sports · Cricket · 1 day ago
Shane Watson says frequent team changes have hurt India’s consistency
Former Australia all-rounder Shane Watson has criticised India coach Gautam Gambhir for frequently changing the team and batting order.
Watson says these changes make it harder for players to settle into their roles and for India to perform consistently.
Gambhir took over as coach in mid-2024, and India have won the Champions Trophy and T20 World Cup under him.
They have also lost home Test series to New Zealand and South Africa, among other defeats.
Watson praised Gambhir for backing wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson, who made important contributions in the T20 World Cup knockout matches.
His comments came after West Indies beat India by six wickets in the second T20I in Ranchi, chasing a target of 250 to level the five-match series.
India and West Indies are due to play the third T20I in Indore on Sunday.
Former Australia all-rounder Shane Watson says frequent changes to India’s playing XI and batting order have undermined the team’s consistency under head coach Gautam Gambhir.
Watson says India need more continuity and time for players to settle into their roles.
He also praised Gambhir for backing players, including wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson.
Gambhir has led India to Champions Trophy and T20 World Cup titles since taking over in mid-2024.
India recently lost to West Indies in the second T20I, leaving the five-match series level at 1-1.
- Who
- Former Australia all-rounder Shane Watson criticised India coach Gautam Gambhir’s team changes.
- What
- Watson said frequent changes to the playing XI and batting order hurt India’s consistency. He also praised Gambhir’s support for players such as Sanju Samson.
- When
- The comments were reported on October 9 and 10, 2026.
- Where
- The comments were made on Prime Video’s YouTube channel.
- Why
- Watson said constant changes leave the team unsettled and make it harder to be consistent.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
The thing that you continue to see and the reason India have been inconsistent under Gambhir is the chopping and changing around the batting order all the time.
My belief is there is too much chopping and changing around the players under Gambhir.
There needs to be a little more continuity there, and for world cricket, if they do that, they are going to be ridiculously hard to beat.
There are a lot of incredible things that Gambhir has brought to the Indian setup. There is no question about that.
Gautam Gambhir took over as India’s head coach.
India won the Champions Trophy and T20 World Cup under Gambhir.
West Indies beat India by six wickets in the second T20I in Ranchi, levelling the five-match series 1-1.
News outlets reported Watson’s criticism of frequent team changes and his call for greater continuity.
- Coach
- Gautam Gambhir
- Critic
- Shane Watson, former Australian all-rounder
- West Indies chase
- 250 runs
- Second T20I result
- West Indies won by six wickets in Ranchi
- Series score
- 1-1 in a five-match series
Sources
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