 "Ravi Shastri has slammed Gautam Gambhir but he has said that the players shouldn't be spared either. Reuters")
Former India head coach Ravi Shastri refused to protect the current incumbent in that position Gautam Gambhir but slammed the batters too for their poor show in the latest India vs South Africa Test series. India lost both the Test matches and suffered their second whitewash at home in last three Test series.
Gautam Gambhir had been under fire for his poor results as coach as Indian team has only been able to win Test series against lower-ranked teams, Bangladesh and West Indies. Fans have been furious at Gambhir’s selection choices and tactics and have called for his sacking .
However, BCCI is reportedly keen on giving Gambhir a longer run and the left-hander will continue to be at the helm of the side.
READ MORE | Gavaskar defends Gambhir despite outrage against India coach over Test whitewashes
Shastri slams Gambhir, batters
Shastri said that even as Gambhir’s responsibility cannot be denied, the players must take their share of the blame as well.
“You tell me. What happened in Guwahati – from 100/1, you skip to 130/7 – this team is not that bad either. The team is not that bad; they have enough talent. Therefore, this is where the responsibility must also be taken by the players. You have played spin since childhood,” Shastri said in a teaser of a podcast released by Prabhat Khabar.
When asked if he was defending Gambhir, the former India coach said that if he was the head coach right now, he would have taken the blame first up but then the players would not be spared under him.
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View AllShastri added: “I’m not protecting [him]. 100 per cent (he is responsible too). When am I saying anything otherwise? Agar yeh mere saath hota, main pehla responsibility leta (Had this happened with me, I would have been the first one to take responsibility) But I would not have spared the players inside the team meeting,"
Shastri, alongside the then captain Virat Kohli, formed a lethal coach-captain duo in Tests and never lost a series at home.