Former India captain Kapil Dev questioned Gautam Gambhir’s effectiveness as a coach, suggesting he might be better suited as a player-manager. Gambhir has faced intense criticism from fans and experts following a string of poor performances in the Test format. Since taking over last year, India suffered whitewash defeats in two home series against New Zealand and South Africa.
Additionally, they lost the Border-Gavaskar Trophy with a 1-3 series defeat in Australia earlier this year. Speaking about Gambhir’s role as head coach, Kapil Dev commented at the Indian Chamber of Commerce ICC Centenary Session (via India Today):
“Today that word called a coach ‘coach’ is a very common word today. Gautam Gambhir can’t be a coach. He can be a manager of the team. When you say coach, coach is where I learn in school and college. Those were the people, my coach there. They can manage me. How can you be a coach when they have given a name to let’s say anybody a leg spinner? How can Gautam be a coach to a leg spinner or to the wicket-keeper?”
He further added:
“I think you have to manage. That’s more important. As a manager, you give them encouragement to say you can do it, because when you become a manager, the young boys look up to you.”
“You Need To Support Players Struggling Form” – Kapil Dev
Kapil Dev added that it is the responsibility of the head coach and captain to support players who are out of form or lacking confidence. Despite the team’s struggles in Tests, India has excelled in white-ball cricket under Gautam Gambhir, claiming victories in the T20 Asia Cup and the Champions Trophy earlier this year in the UAE.
“How can my manager or captain can give me that comfort and that’s what the manager and captain’s job is – to give comfort to the team and always say ‘you can do better’. That’s the way I look at it. I think you have to give comfort to the people who are not playing well. If somebody made a hundred I don’t want to have a drink and dinner with him.”
He further concluded:
“There are a lot of people there As a captain I would like to have a drink with people or I like to have a dinner with people who are not performing. You need to give them the confidence and that’s what happens. So I think it’s very important as a captain and your role is not only your performance, it is also about putting the team together.”
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