 "Gautam Gambhir backed by Indian legends amid calls for sacking on social media: 'Coach cannot play'")
Gautam Gambhir is facing heat over India’s poor performance in Tests at home and fans are demanding for the head coach to be sacked. Some experts have also criticised the Indian head coach's decision making but he has also found support of some former Indian stars.
India have sunk to historic lows under Gambhir as head coach. In their entire Test history, India had been whitewashed at home only once before he took over as the head coach. Gambhir has now overseen two whitewashes on Indian soil, first to New Zealand in 2024 and most recently to South Africa.
Fans in Guwahati also vented their anger with chants of Gambhir haay haay after India’s loss. However, Sunil Gavaskar, R Ashwin and Suresh Raina have defended the head coach and said that the responsibility ultimately lies with the players.
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Gavaskar defends Gambhir
“He’s a coach. The coach can prepare a team. The coach can tell, you know, a guy with his experience. But it’s out there in the middle that the players have to deliver. Now, to those who are asking, you know, for him to be held accountable, my question, counter-question is: what did you do when India won the Champions Trophy under him? What did you do when India won the Asia Cup under him?” Gavaskar told India Today on Thursday_._
The BCCI, meanwhile, isn't likely to take any stern action against Gambhir anytime soon despite the clamour for him to be removed as head coach, at least in the Test format.
Ashwin says Gambhir cannot go out and bat
“Why are we doing this? It’s a sport. Managing a team cannot be that easy. And yes, he is hurting too. We must understand that. It might feel nice to get someone sacked, but that’s not how it should be,” Ashwin said in his Youtube show ‘Ash ki Baat’.
“What can a coach do? I’m asking you a simple question. Put yourself in the coach’s position. You may say a player needs continuity and that there has been a lot of rotation, fine, agreed. But the skill to play and perform is the player’s responsibility,” he added.
“…I personally don’t like this individual attack, because we always look for someone to blame,” Ashwin said.
Raina finds no fault in Gambhir
“Gauti bhaiyya (Gautam Gambhir) has worked really hard, aur unki koi galti nahi hai (it is not his fault at all), the players have to score runs. Under him, we have been doing great in the white-ball format, where we just won the ICC Champions Trophy. The coaches can only tell you the process, but it is the players who have to go out there and face the balls,” Raina recently told PTI.
“If the players do well then the coach will be also applauded. But if the team is not doing well, it should not be that the coach should be sacked from his post. It is the players’ responsibility, if the players are doing well, this question will not even be raised,” he added.
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