BCCI Vice-President Rajeev Shukla has defended head coach Gautam Gambhir and said that he is still in control of Team India and remains popular among the players despite heavy criticism on social media.
Speaking to ANI, Shukla supported Gambhir’s role and performance and said, “Gautam Gambhir is still in control of the team. He is a coach. He is doing his work in that. Yes, why not? (on if he is a popular coach within the team) If we leave the Test match, we are winning the rest of the series in ODIs and T20Is.”
Shukla also spoke about how criticism on social media should not be taken seriously. He explained, “These days on social media, everyone is attacked. Nobody is spared. You lose a match and get criticised. You must also remember that when Sachin Tendulkar would fail during his playing days, he would also face flak from the media, even if he failed in one series. His past contributions and records were not highlighted. He was called ‘Endulkar’ at one point. If this country did not spare Sachin, then what are these other players?”
Under Gambhir’s coaching, India are struggling in Tests. After series losses at home, Gambhir was heavily criticised for his approach. The clean sweep against South Africa at home and the defeat against Australia during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy were major setbacks that affected India’s position in the World Test Championship table.
In T20Is, Gambhir has shown positive results, as India have not lost any series in home and away matches. India arecurrently playing a five-match T20I series against New Zealand at home, where they are leading 2-0.
Also Read: BCCI to drop A-plus contract category as Rohit, Kohli no longer play all formats, Saikia confirms
For latest sports updates: Follow RevSportz
