Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) mentor Gautam Gambhir supported the team’s head coach Chandrakant Pandit following criticism from former KKR player David Wiese, who was part of the squad last year. Pandit, known for his successful coaching stints with Vidarbha (2018, 2019) and Madhya Pradesh (2022) in the Ranji Trophy, was appointed as KKR coach in August 2022.
However, Wiese expressed strong criticism of Pandit’s coaching approach in a recent episode of the podcast, “Hitman for Hire.”
“He (Pandit) is known in India as a very militant type of coach. He is very strict, very disciplinarian that type of stuff. Sometimes in franchise cricket, when you have overseas guys, who’ve played all over the world, they don’t need anyone coming and telling them how they need to behave, what they need to wear and what they need to do the whole time. So, that was tough.”
However, Gambhir was unaware of the criticisms and stated that his working relationship with Pandit has been exceptionally positive thus far.
“I have not heard about any criticism. It’s been early days, and my working relationship with him has been really very good. Hopefully, it will continue that way. Whatever has been said, I have no clue about it. I think he has been pretty successful in first-class cricket, and that is the reason why he has got this opportunity. So far, it has been really good working with him,” said Gambhir as quoted by Times Now.
The partnership between Chandrakant Pandit and Gautam Gambhir has played a crucial role in KKR’s resurgence from their seventh-place finish in IPL 2023. Currently, they hold the second position on the points table with four wins in five matches, including a convincing eight-wicket victory in their most recent match against LSG.
“He’s been doing an amazing job” – Andre Russell commented on KKR coach Chandrakant Pandit
KKR all-rounder Andre Russell also voiced his support for head coach Chandrakant Pandit following criticism from David Wiese. Russell, who has been a key player in the KKR team since the 2014 season, primarily serving as the finisher, commented on Chandrakant Pandit to reporters last month:
“We’ve been working with him from last year. I think when you’re working with a coach for the first time, you have to make sure that you adjust to their philosophy. There have to be rules. We are professionals. So, we don’t complain. I try to do the best for this franchise. He’s been doing an amazing job, and we’ve gotten coming back as well.”
KKR aims to maintain their winning streak as they face RR in a top-of-the-table showdown on Tuesday, April 16. RR, who have won five out of their six matches this season, currently lead the points table.
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