File image of Gautam Gambhir.©BCCI
Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir has been under scrutiny following back-to-back losses to New Zealand and Australia in the Test series. Gambhir has had a tough start as a manager and now his tactics have been heavily criticized by former India teammate Mohammad Kaif. In a video shared on social media, Kaif went on a rant about the mistakes he felt Gambhir made during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and said Gambhir was not up to par tactically.
Kaif asked Gambhir to explain some of his decisions during the Australia tour.
The former Indian cricketer admitted that Gambhir may not have had time to fix Virat Kohli’s batting issues but still could have done a better job with his tactics.
“The best coach is the one who can always be number one tactically,” Kaif said in a video shared on his X account. “The best coaches always know exactly which eleven to select in which conditions.”
“Yes, maybe you don’t have the time to walk up to Virat Kohli and help him correct his technique and say, ‘Boss, I think you should do this. No. Maybe you haven’t reached that stage in the team. But the truth is that Gautam Gambhir was behind tactically. But I just want you to point out exactly where the mistake was made,” Kaif continued.
“Why didn’t Ravindra Jadeja play in the first Test? Why didn’t a legend like Ravichandran Ashwin play? He (Gambir) should explain!”
“Why did you pick Dhruv Jhuler and leave out Sarfaraz Khan, who scored 150? Harshit, who wanted to play against Prasidh Krishna, a hit-the-deck bowler who is perfect for the Australian situation? What did you see in Rana?” Kaif further questioned.
Gambhir, along with captain Rohit Sharma, will reportedly have their performance reviewed by the BCCI in a series of meetings in the coming days. From Ashwin’s mid-series retirement to team discontent to Virat Kohli’s poor form, many topics will be discussed.
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