Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi has rekindled his old feud with current India coach Gautam Gambhir. The legendary all-rounder took a subtle and cheeky dig at the former Indian opener, with whom he has many feuds, when they shared the field together.
In an interview with Telecom Asia Sport, Afridi commented on Gambhir’s coaching work, which has received mixed reactions.
“The way Gautam started his role, he seemed to think that whatever he said was right. But after a while, it turns out that you’re not always right,” Afridi said.
Their on-field rivalry, which flared up publicly during the 2007 Asia Cup, continues to dominate talk of the India-Pakistan cricket rivalry.
In his autobiography, Afridi recalled the heated confrontation typically in a blunt way. “I remember the clash with Gambhir during the 2007 Asia Cup when he finished his single and drove straight into me. The umpires had to finish it or I would have. Clearly we had a frank bilateral discussion about each other’s female relatives,” he wrote.
Afridi doubled down on his book, making it clear that his opinion of Gambhir remained unchanged. He described Gambhir as lacking positivity and criticized his attitude. “Gambhir acts like a cross between Don Bradman and James Bond. In Karachi we call guys like him saryal (burnt). It’s simple, I like happy, positive people. It doesn’t matter if they are aggressive or competitive, but you have to be positive and Gambhir was not,” wrote Afridi.
He went further and attacked Gambhir’s personality and character in a scathing passage. “Some rivalries were personal, some professional. First the curious case of Gambhir. Oh, poor Gautam. Him and his attitude problem. One who has no personality. One who is barely a figure in the grand scheme of things,” Afridi wrote, leaving little to the imagination.
Gambhir has been equally forthright in his responses over the years. During the 2019 Lok Sabha election campaign, he dismissed Afridi’s comments by questioning his maturity. “I’m sure he will sell his book better. Some people age not mentally. Shahid Afridi might be 36, 37 (Afridi is 39). But he’s 16 mentally,” Gambhir told India Today he also suggested psychiatric treatment for the former Pakistan all-rounder at the time.
RO-KO CAN PLAY WORLD CUP 2027 ODI
While Afridi also shared his view on the long-term future of Indian cricket, namely the longevity of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in ODIs. Afridi said both the modern greats still have enough fuel in the tank to play till the 2027 World Cup, provided they are managed well.
“You have to retain both these players. When India face weaker teams, they can try some new players and rest Virat and Rohit,” he advised, adding, “It is a fact that Virat and Rohit are the backbone of the Indian batting line-up and the way they performed in the recent ODI series, it is safe to say that they can play till the 2027 World Cup.”
As of now, both Rohit and Kohli are firing on all cylinders and fans will be hoping that they can continue their stellar form until the World Cup, where it could be their last chance to claim the silverware that eluded them in 2023.
– The end
Issued by:
Amar Panicker
Published on:
December 11, 2025
