Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly has defended Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir as the latter is facing heavy criticism.
Gautam Gambhir is receiving a lot of criticism across social media from fans and some former players regarding India’s performance under him. His recent statements in the media have also created a buzz in the cricketing world.
India first lost an ODI series against Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka. Then came the last whitewash against New Zealand on home soil in test cricket. India hadn’t lost a home test series since 2012 before the embarrassing loss against the Kiwis. Gambhir received a lot of heat from the fans after these two defeats.
Then Gambhir’s reply to Ricky Ponting’s comments on Virat Kohli’s form was the hot topic. Ponting called him a prickly character. Former Australian captain Tim Paine then termed him as “not a great fit for Indian cricket” after his comments on Ponting.
Amidst all this, Sourav Ganguly has backed the Indian head coach of the team. Talking to RevSports, Ganguly said ‘Let him be’. He said that the Gambhir is like that and he should be given a chance before facing this much criticism.
Ganguly said, “All I will say is let him be. I saw some criticism of what he said in the press conference. It is the way he is. Let him be. When he won the IPL, he was the same. You were going gaga over him.
Just because he has lost three Test matches and a one-day series against Sri Lanka, the straight talk has not been looked at nicely. But that is the way he is”.
“Let’s give Gautam Gambhir a chance”: Sourav Ganguly
He continued, “And why not? Australians, from the time I have watched cricket, they have been tough for you. They have played their cricket that way, whether it was [Steve] Waugh, [Ricky] Ponting or [Matthew] Hayden. So, there is nothing wrong with what Gambhir has said. That is the way he is, and he fights. He competes, so let us give him a chance. It has just been two or three months, and you are passing judgment on him”.
On Gambhir’s recent reply to Ricky Ponting, Ganguly added, “No problem whatsoever. Let him say whatever he likes, for that will help him. Ultimately you have to go and play the game hard. That is the way it is, and it has happened for ages against Australian cricket teams.
That makes this series even more competitive and even more followed by people. So let it be. Let’s give Gambhir a chance. You have given him a job. In two months, you cannot pass a judgment on him”.
The former Indian captain concluded by saying, “I know the next nine months, it will be very hard for him. Five Test matches in England. Champions Trophy. It will decide Gambhir. So, from my point of view, give him a chance and do not be too hard on him.
