[NEW DELHI: Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh has publicly defended Gautam Gambhir, the current head coach of the Indian cricket team, amidst growing criticism following recent Test series defeats. Gambhir’s tenure has seen India secure victories in the T20 World Cup, Champions Trophy, and Asia Cup, yet the Test squad has faced significant setbacks, including heavy losses to Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa, with whitewashes occurring in home series against the latter two.
The handling of the Test team under Gambhir has drawn considerable scrutiny from both fans and cricket pundits. However, Harbhajan Singh expressed his bewilderment at the disproportionate blame often directed at the coach when a team’s performance falters.
“Why is Gautam getting so much flak? I have never understood why when a team doesn’t do well, people always tend to blame the coach. The Gautam that I have known, was a very passionate player of his time, one who always put the team first,” Harbhajan told PTI, highlighting Gambhir’s dedication during his playing career.
Recalling Gambhir’s early days with the national team, Harbhajan described him as an introvert who maintained a tight-knit circle of friends. “When he (Gambhir) first came into the team as a youngster, he would only interact with a select few players and would hang out with them. In those days, his friends used to be Viru (Virender Sehwag), Amit Mishra, Munaf Patel. I don’t know if he is still friends with them, I guess they still are,” he reminisced.
Harbhajan further elaborated on Gambhir’s personality, stating, “Bohot Badhiya Banda hai woh (Gautam is a top guy). He is very straightforward. For many people, Gautam might say bitter things but what he speaks is the bitter truth. Now, many people can’t digest the truth, and perhaps the tone of his comments makes people feel that he is a slightly difficult person.” This explanation aimed to shed light on Gambhir’s often misunderstood demeanor.
Singh urged the public not to form opinions solely based on Gambhir’s public image. “Don’t judge a book by its cover. He is a brilliant guy. He has got a good sense of how the game should be played. I know one thing for sure. Now that he is the coach, he will want his team to imbibe just one philosophy and that is ‘Play To Win’,” he asserted. He added that Gambhir would likely tolerate a defeat if the team’s intent was to win, but would not accept a defensive approach aiming for a draw. For more updates on cricket and other Sports news, stay tuned.
Source: Original Source
