Gautam Gambhir's coaching wasn't bad: Basit Ali shocks fans with strong defense of India head coach

Former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali came out in favor of Gautam Gambhir amid criticism after the loss in the ODI series against Sri Lanka National Cricket Team. He said that the India head coach didn't do a bad job, it was players who didn't perform well and lived up to the expectations.

India National Cricket Team suffered a disappointing loss against Sri Lanka National Cricket Team in the three-match ODI series. They went on to lose the series by the margin of 2-0 and it was the first time they lost the ODI series against the Island nation since 1997.

After India suffered the loss against Sri Lanka, head coach Gautam Gambhir was criticized a lot for tweaking the Indian batting order. The coach opted for a left-right combination against the Sri Lankan spinners but the move didn't work as Indian batters had no answers to the bowling of hosts.

Apart from Rohit Sharma, no batter could get going as they all fell to spinners and lost the last two games. Their poor batting performance was also the main reason behind the first game ending in a tie. The head coach was also criticized for the failure of batters and team combinations.

Basit Ali talked about India's performance, saying that Gautam Gambhir came up with his own policy but it was players who had to implement it. He stressed that apart from Rohit Sharma, no other batter performed well as they were not ready for the 50-over format and came with the mindset of T20Is. Speaking in a video posted on his YouTube channel, he explained:

"In 3 matches, Sri Lanka played 150 overs and India played 116 overs. India was not ready for the longer format. They were playing in the T20 style. Now you said that left-right combination. Look, the coach has changed. His team has changed. He brought his own policy. Who had to implement it? Me? Or you guys? No, the players who played. Did any batter implement it other than Rohit Sharma? No, right?

"Where is the performance? Virat Kohli is the number 1 batsman in the world. No one will like him more than me. I like only 2 players. Virat and Babar but there is no performance. There is no practice. What will happen if Gill plays a shot like this? Who will lose? India will lose. Iyer came, Rahul came, Rishabh Pant played 1 match. Riyan Parag played 1 match but he showed it, both in bowling and batting, where he scored 15 runs. But we always see that the plan that is given by the coach, who delivers it? Players do it. "

You can't say that Gautam Gambhir's coaching was bad - Basit Ali

Basit Ali further went on to say that Indian players tried their best but couldn't play. According to him, Gautam Gambhir's coaching wasn't bad and he urged people to allow the head coach to settle as it was his first series. Basit Ali also made a bold claim, saying that a clear picture will come after the Champions Trophy 2025. Basit Ali added:

"Players couldn't do it. They tried but couldn't do it. So, you can't say that Gautam Gambhir's coaching was bad. It's wrong. It was his first assignment. Let him do it now. In future, there will be easy series against Bangladesh. When he goes to Australia, he will be tested. You asked my opinion. Now, I will give you my opinion.

"After the Champions Trophy, there will be a decision. Please remember what I am saying. After the Champions Trophy, there will be a decision. Will Gautam continue? Or Rohit and Virat Kohli will take retirement from 50-over cricket? The right picture will come out after the Champions Trophy," Basit Ali concluded.