Gautam Gambhir given 'Hypocrite' title by former KKR teammate after India's drubbing in Australia
Published - 09 Jan 2025, 01:21 PM | Updated - 09 Jan 2025, 11:37 PM
Former Indian cricketer Manoj Tiwary took a brutal dig at head coach Gautam Gambhir following the team's poor performance in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) against Australia. Manoj Tiwary accused Gautam Gambhir of being a hypocrite, adding that the head coach doesn't follow what he advises.
Gambhir has been heavily criticized following India's poor performance in Australia, where they lost 1-3 in the five-match series. The Men in Blue also crashed out of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2025 final race. It's worth mentioning that India advanced to the finals in two previous WTC editions.
Gautam Gambhir Is a Hypocrite - Manoj Tiwary
In an exclusive interview with News18 Bangla, Manoj Tiwary criticized both Morne Morkel and Abhishek Nayar. He pointed out that both the captain, Rohit Sharma, and Abhishek Nayar are from Mumbai, adding that they were given prominence in the team.
“What is the use of a bowling coach? Whatever the coach says he will agree. Morne Morkel came from Lucknow Super Giants. Abhishek Nayar was at Kolkata Knight Riders with Gambhir and the Indian head coach has a comfort zone with him,” Tiwary told News18 Bangla.
“Gautam Gambhir is a hypocrite. He doesn’t do what he says. The captain is from Mumbai, Abhishek Nayar is from Mumbai. Rohit has been pushed to the forefront by them to deal with all the issues,” he added.
Gautam Gambhir Appointed After India's T20 World Cup 2024 Victory
Gautam Gambhir was appointed after India's T20 World Cup 2024 victory under Rahul Dravid. Since Gambhir took over as India's head coach, the team has faced several disappointing results, including losses in an ODI series to Sri Lanka and a 3-0 whitewash at home against New Zealand in the Test series.
There were initial signs of success, such as victories over Sri Lanka in a T20I series and Bangladesh in the Kanpur Test. However, Gambhir's tenure has seen questionable decisions, and the outcomes have not favored him so far. He will be hoping to turn things around at the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
He Didn’t Guide KKR to the Title Single-Handedly - Manoj Tiwary
Manoj Tiwary affirmed the rumors of tension between Gautam Gambhir and Rohit Sharma. Tiwary questioned how the two could work together with their contrasting leadership styles. He said that Gambhir received the credit for the titles with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) despite the team's contributions.
“How will they work together? Rohit is a World Cup-winning captain While Gambhir led KKR to IPL titles both as a captain and mentor. Gambhir didn’t guide KKR to the title single-handedly as we all performed as a unit. Jacques Kallis, Sunil Narine and I, all contributed to the cause. But who took the credit?” Tiwary said.
Team India is placed in Group A alongside Bangladesh, New Zealand, and Pakistan for the Champions Trophy. They will begin their campaign on February 20 with a match against Bangladesh. India will face Pakistan on February 23, and their final league match will be against New Zealand on March 2.
Also read: Jasprit Bumrah delivers the biggest setback for team India amidst ICC Champions Trophy uncertainty
