Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir allegedly scolded bowling coach Morne Morkel in front of the squad for arriving late to a training session in Australia during the Border-Gavaskar series. The incident of tension within the team surfaced after the BCCI held a review meeting addressing the series loss.
According to the Times of India, Morkel was delayed due to a personal meeting. Gambhir did not tolerate the lateness and publicly reprimanded the former South African pacer, which reportedly left Morkel withdrawn for the remainder of the campaign.
“Gambhir is very strict about discipline. He reprimanded Morkel immediately at the ground. The board has been told that Morkel was a bit reserved during the rest of the tour. It is up to these two to sort it out to allow the team to function smoothly,” a BCCI source told TOI.
The rest of the support staff is also being scrutinized after India’s recent performances. Former players like Sunil Gavaskar raised concerns about the contributions of assistant coaches Abhishek Nayar and Ryan ten Doeschate, citing recurring dismissals and collapses that significantly impacted India.
Along with pundits, the BCCI remains doubtful about Nayar and Doeschate’s ability to guide and motivate the players effectively.
“Batting coach Abhishek Nayar is particularly under the scanner. Gambhir himself has been an accomplished batter. The board has asked the players if Nayar is bringing anything new to the table.”
”Similarly, Doeschate’s role is being discussed. His lack of international experience and ability to contribute to enhancing an international cricketer’s performance is being questioned,” the source added.
Gautam Gambhir had backed his support staff when he was appointed head coach
The head coach has previously worked with all members of his current support staff. Since the BCCI usually avoids overseas appointments, Gambhir had to strongly advocate for his former colleagues.
He worked with Morne Morkel at Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), and Ryan ten Doeschate and Abhishek Nayar were part of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) staff when Gambhir was their mentor.
The BCCI approved his requests, allowing him to bring in his preferred candidates. However, six months into his tenure, there have been few positive outcomes, with India missing out on the World Test Championship (WTC) final and losing a bilateral ODI series in Sri Lanka.
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