New Delhi: Former Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh said that it is too early to take a judgement on Gautam Gambhir’s coaching career. He believed that Gambhir has been made scapegoat for the Indian team’s demeaning 3-0 Test series defeat to New Zealand at home.
India lost Test matches in Bengaluru, Pune, and Mumbai to suffer their first ever whitewash in a three-match Test series at home. This also ended their 18-match Test series winning streak on home soil as they suffered first defeat since 2012.
This comes after India lost the ODI series in Sri Lanka 2-0 in August. Questions have certainly been raised on Gambhir’s coaching style with the foreign media also keeping an close eye on it. Harbhajan, who was teammate with Gambhir during their playing time with the Indian team, feels the head coach needs time to settle in.
“Ever since Gautam has become the coach, he has not gone out there to bat, neither he has gone out to bowl. Suddenly he has become the coach and the results have gone down. The entire blame is being pinned on Gautam Gambhir,” Harbhajan told Jatin Sapru on the latter’s YouTube channel.
“He has not batted or bowled, the blame cannot be put on him. Your plan was to have turners, and the plan backfired. Knowing him, I think he has his heart in the right place. He always thinks about the team, it is way too early for us to judge him. Give him time. It is not easy to run big teams,” he added.
Harbhajan Singh feels Gambhir needs to pass the Australia Test series
India will now face a litmus test against Australia in a five-match Test series, starting on November 22 in Perth. The Rohit Sharma-led side are under pressure to win at least four Test matches to keep their chances of qualifying for the World Test Championship final alive.
“It is difficult to run big teams, everyone takes time. If the results were fine, everyone would have said ‘see, Gautam is making the team win’. The series against Australia is important, a lot of things will be tested. Gautam Gambhir who will be sitting outside, his anger and patience will be tested,” said Harbhajan.
“He cannot control anything from the outside, big players get frustrated sitting on the sidelines. This Test, Gambhir needs to pass. The tour is very important for Gambhir. In this country, everyone has an opinion. Gautam Gambhir must be feeling low, he is on the radar. If the series doesn’t go well, Gambhir will be at the receiving end. I want him to stay calm and for the team to perform well,” he added.
Former Australia captain Tim Paine recently said that Gambhir is a big concern for the growth of this Indian team and noted that their last two Test series win in Australia was a proactive approach of then coach Ravi Shastri.
Harbhajan Singh believed that Gambhir has been made scapegoat for the Indian team’s demeaning 3-0 Test series defeat to New Zealand at home. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
