Sunil Gavaskar and Gautam Gambhir NEW DELHI: India’s 2-0 Test series capitulation to South Africa has sparked a wave of frustration among fans, much of it directed at head coach Gautam Gambhir. With the team clearly in transition and struggling for consistency, Gambhir’s methods, credentials and lack of red-ball coaching experience have come under scrutiny. As outrage mounted on social media after the Guwahati defeat, calls for his sacking only grew louder.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SIGN UP NOW!But amid the uproar, former India captain Sunil Gavaskar stepped up to defend the embattled coach, making it clear that Gambhir is not the root cause of India’s woes. Speaking to India Today, Gavaskar said that critics conveniently focused on Gambhir only in moments of failure while ignoring his contributions during victories.
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“He is the coach. The coach can prepare the team… but it is in the middle that the players have to deliver,” Gavaskar said, stressing that the responsibility cannot flow in only one direction. He then offered a scathing rebuke to Gambhir’s detractors: “To those who are asking for him to be held accountable, my 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 asked why praise comes so sparingly while criticism rains so easily. “Now you’re asking to be sacked – but did you say then that he should get an extended contract, a lifetime contract for one-day cricket and T20 cricket? You didn’t say that. Only when the team is not doing well, look at the coach.”
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As talks turn to appointing specialist coaches for various formats, Gambhir’s lack of red-ball pedigree has fueled further debate. But Gavaskar disagreed with the idea that India had to split the coaching roles, pointing out that several countries have one coach across formats. “Not necessarily. For example, Brendan McCullum is the coach of all three formats for England,” he said, adding that even McCullum’s own mixed results prove that coaches cannot be the only variable in a team’s success.Gavaskar delivered his sharpest defense with a rhetorical challenge: “If you are not ready to give him credit for the Champions Trophy and the Asia Cup win, then please tell me why you want to blame him for the team not doing well in that 22 yards. Why are you blaming him?”
