Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir has finally spoken about the reasons behind leaving Kuldeep Yadav and Arshdeep Singh out of the playing XI in recent matches. He explained the thinking behind these tough selection calls and stressed the importance of honest communication with players who deserve to be in the team.
Speaking to BCCI.TV, Gambhir said that coaching world-class players ready to perform at any time comes with difficult decisions.
“That’s probably the toughest part of me as a coach. I think that’s the toughest job I have, that sometimes when I know that there is so much of quality sitting on the bench and I know everyone deserves to be part of the playing XI, but ultimately you can only pick XI thinking that which is the best combination to do the job on that particular day,” Gambhir said.
He further added that being transparent with players is a key aspect of his coaching philosophy, especially when they are left out despite performing well.
“But for me, the most important thing is the conversation and the communication as well. So the communication needs to be very clear, very honest; sometimes, obviously, those are hard conversations to have. If you tell someone that he’s not playing, this is probably the toughest conversation for a coach and a player as well, because I know that the player would get upset when he deserves to be part of the playing XI,” he added.
Gambhir also stated that players handle such decisions better when there is honesty and clarity involved.
“If you’re honest, if you’re straightforward, if you know that what you’re saying is saying it from the heart… I feel that our players do understand that,” he said.
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