After Team India’s recent Test series loss to South Africa, an enraged Gautam Gambhir attacked those who supported divided coaching for the team, telling them to stay “in their domain.”
Gambhir, the head coach of India, specifically took aim at Parth Jindal, the co-owner of the Delhi Capitals, who had requested that the BCCI think about hiring a different coach for red-ball cricket.
After India outclassed South Africa in the third ODI in Visakhapatnam by nine wickets to claim the three-match series 2-1, Gambhir said, “Some people also said things that have nothing to do with cricket. An IPL team owner (Parth Jindal) also wrote about split coaching,”
“So this is surprising. It’s very important for people to stay in their domain because if we don’t go into someone’s domain, then they also don’t have the right to come into our domain.”
Additionally, he slammed the media for failing to take into account that captain Shubman Gill had to withdraw from the first Test in Kolkata due to neck problems after facing just four balls.
“Look, there were a lot of talks because the results didn’t go in our favour (in Test series). But the most surprising thing is that not once did any media or journalist wrote that our first Test match (in Kolkata) was played without the captain (Shubman Gill), who didn’t bat in both innings (because of a neck injury),” the Indian coach stated.
After the Indian team’s loss to South Africa in the Test series, Jindal criticized the team’s selection and demanded the appointment of a specialist red ball coach for Test matches.
“Not even close, what a complete thrashing at home! Don’t remember seeing our Test side being so weak at home!!! This is what happens when red ball specialists are not picked,” Jindal had posted on X.
“This team is nowhere near reflective of the deep strength we possess in the red ball format. Time for India to move to a specialist red-ball coach for Test cricket.”
According to Gambhir, such opinion makers ought to abstain from saying things that are unrelated to cricket issues on the field.
In what appeared to be a self-defense tactic following a series loss at home, he also boasted about his accomplishments as the red-ball coach at the post-match press conference in Guwahati.
“I don’t give excuses in press conferences. It doesn’t mean that you don’t show the facts in front of the world or the country. When you go through a transition and when you lose your captain, who is also your main batter in red-ball cricket against such a team (South Africa).
“Then obviously the results are difficult because you don’t have that much experience in red ball cricket. And the surprising thing is that no one even talked about it. All the discussions about wickets, I don’t know what all things were said.”
