Coach Gambhir accused of fuelling insecurity among players by ex-India cricketer: 'Sab darr ke khel rahe hain'

Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif has slammed Gautam Gambhir’s coaching style following India's 30-run defeat in the first Test against South Africa in Kolkata, accusing his former teammate of causing “fear and confusion” among players with his approach.

Gambhir had succeeded batting legend Rahul Dravid as India head coach across formats in July last year. India have had mixed results across formats with the former opening batter at the helm; while they have won the ICC Champions Trophy as well as the Asia Cup this year, they had suffered a historic 0-3 Test whitewash against New Zealand at home and a 1-3 series loss in Australia, resulting in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy slipping out of India’s grasp for the first time in nearly a decade.

And on Sunday, India were bundled out for a paltry 93 after being set 124 to win by South Africa, a team that had suffered 0-3 Test series defeats in each of their last two visits to India. The Proteas, as a result, won their first Test on Indian soil in 15 years, and are on the cusp of winning a Test series in this part of the world after 25 years.

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‘There is no backing’

Speaking on his YouTube channel, after India’s 30-run defeat, former middle-order batter Kaif felt that the defeats were the result of the players not receiving enough support from the management.

“Whichever players are playing, they don’t have a feeling that someone is standing for them. Koi backing nahi hai, sab darr ke khel rahe hain. (There is no backing; everyone is playing with fear.) Sab dar ke khel rahe hain, koi khul ke nahi khel raha (Everyone is playing in fear, nobody is playing with freedom),” Kaif said.

Also Read | India losing Test dominance at home as Gambhir tries to redefine the format with defensive thinking

The former Uttar Pradesh cricketer also shed light on India’s selection policy and how players such as Sarfaraz Khan and B Sai Sudharsan have been dropped from the playing XI after impressive performances with the bat.

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Sarfaraz was dropped shortly after scoring a majestic 150 against New Zealand in Bengaluru last year while Sai Sudharsan was replaced by all-rounder Washington Sundar at No 3 despite scoring 87 against West Indies in his previous outing just last month.

“If Sarfaraz Khan’s place is not confirmed after 100 scoring a hundred. Even after scoring 100, he’s not able to make a comeback. Sai Sudharsan scored 87. He doesn’t play the next Test match. I think there is a lot of confusion in this team,” he continued.

Kaif slams Kolkata pitch, says such surfaces further demoralising players

Among the biggest talking points after the conclusion of the first Test was the pitch that was prepared at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens, where neither team was able to score 200 and only one batter – South African captain Temba Bavuma – was able to score a half-century.

The match ended inside three days with the pitch playing all sorts of tricks with batters, primarily due to its unpredictable bounce. Gambhir, however, maintained that this was exactly the kind of surface that Eden curator Sujan Mukherjee was asked to prepare, adding that it was up to the batters to adjust to the conditions and play the right shots.

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Responding to the pitch saga, Kaif felt that such surfaces only made things for players whose confidence had already been hit by the team’s selection policies.

“Players ko apne pe belief kam ho gaya hai, thoda insecurity bhi aa gyi hai (Players are not believing in themselves, there is insecurity as well). When there is insecurity and you come to play at turning tracks, you won’t be able to do well,” Kaif added.