Gautam Gambhir has opened up about the recent debate over his decision to bench key players Arshdeep Singh and Kuldeep Yadav during the T20I series against Australia. (Photo by AFP) NEW DELHI: India head coach Gautam Gambhir has opened up about the recent debate over his decision to bench key players Arshdeep Singh and Kuldeep Yadav during the T20I series against Australia. In a video interview with the BCCI, Gambhir discussed the challenges of balancing team combinations, managing expectations and ensuring transparent communication – especially when in-form players are left out of the playing XI.The move to rest Arshdeep Singh, India’s leading T20I wicket-keeper, for the first two matches to accommodate Harshit Rana has drawn widespread criticism. Arshdeep made a big comeback later in the series, taking three wickets in the third T20I and followed it up with 1/22 in the fourth match.Acknowledging the difficulty of such calls, Gambhir said having to leave out deserving players is one of the toughest parts of his job.“That’s the hardest part for me as a coach and that’s the hardest job I have. Sometimes when I know there’s so much quality sitting on the bench and I know everyone deserves to be part of the playing XI, but at the end of the day you can only pick 11 and think about what’s the best combination to do the job on that particular day,” Gambhir said.He further emphasized the importance of open dialogue and honesty in the team.“But for me the most important thing is the conversation and also the communication. The communication has to be very clear, very honest. Sometimes, of course, they are difficult conversations. If you tell someone that he is not playing, it is probably the most difficult conversation for the coach and the player, because I know that the player would be upset when he deserves to be part of the playing eleven,” he added.
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Gambhir also emphasized the positive, transparent environment in the Indian dressing room and insisted that discussions between players and coaches must remain private.“But if you’re honest, if you’re straightforward, if you know that what you’re saying comes from the heart and there’s nothing behind it, some players understand that. And it’s a communication between the player and the coach, and I think that should stay there, rather than people making a lot of noise and different theories about it. And that’s something that this group and the support staff have done brilliantly because that’s the dressing room, that’s exactly what the dressing room, dressing room, dressing room should be.” concluded Gambhir.
