The head coach of the Indian men's cricket team, Gautam Gambhir, publicly criticized Ricky Ponting for his comments leading up to the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Former Australian Test captain Tim Paine, however, expressed concern, stating that the Indian team's biggest challenge in Australia could be their ability to remain calm under pressure.
Ponting had expressed his worries about Virat Kohli's form, noting that he had only scored two Test hundreds in the last five years. In response, Gambhir fired back at the pre-departure press conference.
‘What does Ponting have to do with Indian cricket? He should be talking about Australia’. Ponting responded to Gambhir’s reply by calling him a ‘prickly customer’.
“I don’t love it. It’s not a good sign I think, because all he was asked was a very simple question. I think he’s maybe looking at Ricky still as someone he’s playing against, but Ricky is a commentator now – he’s paid to give an opinion, and his opinion was spot on," Paine was quoted as saying on SEN Radio.
“Virat has been sliding, it is a concern, absolutely. But for me now, the biggest concern for India right now isn’t Rohit Sharma’s batting, isn’t Virat Kohli’s batting, it’s their coach and his ability to stay calm under pressure," he added.
The inaugural match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test series between Australia and India is set to kick off in Perth on November 22, with subsequent matches scheduled in Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, and Perth. Australian captain Tim Paine has praised former head coach Ravi Shastri for infusing the Indian team with a contagious energy and light-hearted nature during their successful Test series wins in Australia. Paine believes that this unique quality is lacking in Gautam Gambhir, highlighting the importance of a positive and spirited team environment in achieving success on the field.
“Their last two series wins out here they had Ravi Shastri who was fantastic. He created a great environment, the players were energised, they played with passion, he sold them the dream and motivated them in a really light-hearted enjoyable way," Paine said.
“They have gone to a new coach now that is really prickly, really competitive – and that not to say that’s not a good thing and a good way to coach – but my concern is that it’s not a great fit for the Indian cricket team."
“If your coach is the first one to crack in a press conference after being asked a simple question, it could be a really long summer for Gautam Gambhir if India don’t get off to a good start on Perth," he added.
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