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'I Was His Teammate Few Years Ago, Now He's Telling Us How To Play Cricket': Gambhir Attacked In A Brutal Rant

January 14, 2025

'I Was His Teammate Few Years Ago, Now He's Telling Us How To Play Cricket': Gambhir Attacked In Brutal Rant (Source: PTI)

India coach Gautam Gambhir copped heavy criticism after the team suffered a 3-1 defeat to Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The defeat followed India's 3-0 hammering against New Zealand at home in one of the biggest upsets of the decade. Gambhir took over as India coach following Rahul Dravid's exit after the T20 World Cup 2024. Gambhir was rated very highly in the Indian circuit after his successful stints in IPL which also saw him lead Kolkata Kight Riders (KKR) to their third IPL title last year, however, he endured completely contrasting results in the first few months as India coach.
Former England cricketer Monty Panesar launched a scathing attack on Gambhir and highlighted his below-par record in Australia and England.
Also Read: Gautam Gambhir Wants 23-Year-Old As Next India Captain
"I think maybe the workload is too much for Gambhir. He's just transitioned into a coach. Sometimes it can be difficult for some of the senior players who actually will be thinking, 'Well, I was his teammate a few years ago, now he's telling us how to play cricket'," Gambhir told Times of India.
"It can be difficult, that transition, and also his record (as a batter) isn't great in Australia or England," he added.
Panesar further questioned if the players take Gambhir seriously and suggested that the BCCI should hire someone like VVS Laxman who has been successful in all conditions.
"He (Gambhir) averages 23 in Australia. He doesn't average well in England either. He didn't play the moving ball very well. I think the selectors will be thinking 'is Gambhir taking it seriously as a coach, or should we get him to just focus on ODIs and T20Is, and maybe bring in someone like VVS Laxman, for example (as Test coach)?...Or bring him in as a batting coach to help Gambhir. He's similar to Rahul Dravid. He's been successful in all conditions,” said Monty Panesar
"But with Gambhir, I'm not sure if they really take him seriously, or they're just saying, 'okay, yeah, we'll listen to him, but we're gonna go and play our natural game'," Panesar concluded.
Meanwhile, according to reports, the BCCI is not willing to judge Gambhir on recent performances and feel the coach should be given sufficient opportunity to deliver results. The ICC Champions Trophy could be a critical tournament for Gambhir, and a bad performance in the tournament could put his career in jeopardy.
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