File image of Gautam Gambhir.© BCCI
Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir is under the scanner following back-to-back Test series losses against New Zealand and Australia. Gambhir has endured a rough start as coach, and now his tactics have been brutally called out by his former India teammate Mohammad Kaif. In a video shared on social media, Kaif goes on a rant about the mistakes he felt that Gambhir had made during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, stating that Gambhir has not been up to the mark tactically.
Kaif requested Gambhir to provide explanations for several of his decisions during the Australia tour.
The former India cricketer acknowledged that while Gambhir may not have had the time to go and correct Virat Kohli‘s batting issues, he could’ve still done a better job with his tactics.
“The best coach is always the one who is tactically No. 1,” said Kaif, in a video shared on his own X account. “The best coach always knows exactly which XI to pick in what conditions.”
“Yes, you probably do not have the time to walk up to Virat Kohli and help him fix his technique, or tell him ‘Boss, I think you should do this’, perhaps you haven’t reached that stage within the team. But what is true is that Gautam Gambhir was lagging behind tactically. I watched his press conferences. I just want him to point out exactly where the mistakes were made,” Kaif continued.
“Why did Ravindra Jadeja not play the first Test? Why did a legend like Ravichandran Ashwin not play? He (Gambhir) should give an explanation!”
“Why did you pick Dhruv Jurel and drop Sarfaraz Khan who scored a 150? What exactly did you see in Harshit Rana that made you want to play him over Prasidh Krishna, who’s the perfect hit-the-deck bowler for Australian conditions?” Kaif further questioned.
Gambhir, along with captain Rohit Sharma, are reportedly set to have their performance reviewed by the BCCI in a series of meetings in the coming days. A number of topics, from Ashwin’s mid-series retirement to team discontent to Virat Kohli’s poor form, are set to be discussed.
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