The Gambhir-Rohit chemistry faces big test in Australia series

India coach Gautam Gambhir's media conference on Monday morning before leaving for Australia was so last minute that it couldn't be arranged in the hotel the squad members were staying in.

- Rasesh Mandani

But the nagging questions after the humbling Test series rout against New Zealand refuse to go away.

The shock 0-3 defeat to the Kiwis has left many questions lingering. Was it his call or skipper Rohit Sharma's to call for dry turners against New Zealand after losing the first Test in Bengaluru? Does Rohit's approach, hurtling on as opener, have Gambhir's approval? Is there synergy between the two on strategic calls? Or, as Rohit said, Gambhir and his support staff are "still understanding how the team operates"?

All this raises an important question that will remain until there is a turnaround in results - whether Rohit and Gambhir enjoy the same chemistry Rohit-Dravid, and Kohli-Shastri before them, did?

A head coach in cricket is nothing like an all-powerful football manager. It can be argued that the coach's role ends and the captain takes over when the eleven step on to the field of play. But think of Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri having more hits than misses because they thought alike. In his tribute when Dravid left as coach, Rohit called him his "work wife". The Anil Kumble-Kohli relationship ended prematurely despite decent results because of "untenable differences".