Gautam Gambhir’s tactics and strategy have come under introspection following India’s abject surrender in the Test series.
Sunil Gavaskar and Ravichandran Ashwin believe blaming Gambhir for the debacle is pointless since the players have to perform. Former South Africa captain AB de Villiers also chipped in with his view on Friday.
“Speaking on behalf of the Indian side, it’s really difficult. I don’t know what GG is like when it comes to leadership. I’ve known him as an emotional player and if that is the case in the change room, generally an emotional coach is not a good thing to have,” De Villiers said on Ashwin’s YouTube channel.
“But it’s not to say he’s that kind of a coach behind the scenes. There’s no right and wrong. Some players will feel comfortable with a former player. Some players will be comfortable with a coach that’s never played the game, but he’s got a lot of years of experience of coaching.”
He admitted that he had never worked directly with Gambhir, Morne Morkel
or Ryan ten Doeschate in the Indian setup, making it difficult to fully judge the internal dynamics.
But he showed admiration for South Africa head coach Shukri Conrad, crediting him for restoring calm and clarity.
“I absolutely loved playing under Gary Kirsten; he’s a former player and similar to Gautam Gambhir. It looks great on paper but I don’t know what the dynamic is like behind the scenes. What I can say is it is different for every player.
“Some players might find confidence and feel comfortable with a former player being there and find some extra inspiration to put extra yards for the team,” he said.
