Shahid Afridi comes to Gautam Gambhir’s defense amid criticism, shares strong opinion
New Delhi: The Indian men’s cricket team head coach, Gautam Gambhir, has been under scrutiny following the team’s poor record in red-ball cricket recently. His tenure did not start well, as his first assignment was in Sri Lanka, where India lost the series after 27 years. This was followed by a 3-0 defeat against the Blackcaps, marking the first instance of India being whitewashed in a Test series at home with three or more matches.
The impressive 295-run victory in the Perth Test against Australia provided a much-needed boost, but the 10-wicket loss in the second Test has brought things back to square one for Gambhir and Team India. With the team now facing a tough challenge to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25, they are also on the brink of missing out on the World Test Championship final for the first time in history.
As pressure mounts on Gambhir, he has received unexpected support from former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi. Afridi urged that Gambhir be given more time, explaining that implementing a new system takes time to yield results. He suggested that the Indian head coach should be evaluated after 8-9 months, allowing sufficient time for his approach to take effect.
Afridi emphasized Gambhir’s credentials, saying, “Gautam has got the responsibility because he was the coach of the Kolkata Knight Riders that won the IPL. This means that he has something in him. Coaching a franchise and leading a national team is a big responsibility. He has just come in; it has just been 1-2 times. Whenever someone comes, it takes time. It is not just the responsibility of the national team; you have to go to a lower level. Whichever coaches and directors are there, you have communication with them on what kind of players you need and what bowlers you need. Whenever someone new comes in, I say give them time. Give 8-9 months or a year. Every system takes time to affect,” Afridi shared during a podcast with GEO URDU.
During their playing days, Gautam Gambhir and Shahid Afridi were known to have a rivalry, with one of the most memorable incidents being their heated altercation during an ODI match in 2007 at Green Park Stadium, which remains fresh in the minds of cricket fans.