Tim Paine, Australia’s Test captain in the last two Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) Down Under, thinks Team India’s biggest concern for the upcoming 5-match Test series won’t be Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma’s form but their head coach, Gautam Gambhir’s, inability to keep calm under pressure.
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Citing how quickly Gambhir was rattled by Ricky Ponting’s remark on Kohli and Rohit‘s poor recent return, Paine feels that the Indian coach will have a long summer.
“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. 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,” Paine told SEN Tassie.
Gambhir not a great fit for India: Paine
The former Australia skipper also talked about how Gambhir isn’t the right fit for Team India. He compared him to India’s head coach for the last two Down Under tours, Ravi Shastri. Paine feels Gambhir’s ultra-competitive attitude isn’t well suited to coaching. Shastri, in comparison, had a laid-back approach and backed players all the while, remaining competitive.
“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 and enjoyable way. They have gone to a new coach now that is really prickly, really competitive—and that is 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,” Paine added.
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