Sunil Gavaskar criticizes Gambhir, Morkel after India's BGT upset
What's the story
Legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar has voiced his discontent with India's head coach Gautam Gambhir and his team after India lost the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 1-3 to Australia. It has been a tough start for Gambhir, who succeeded Rahul Dravid after India's 2024 T20 World Cup win. Gavaskar stressed that "questions need to be asked" about the coaching staff's plans and decisions during this tough phase.
Performance scrutiny
Gavaskar questions India's performance under new coaching staff
Gambhir's tenure has been marred by a string of disappointing performances, including an ODI series loss to Sri Lanka and back-to-back Test series defeats against New Zealand and Australia. "What were they doing that we had this situation where we are losing, losing, losing?" Gavaskar questioned during an interview with India Today. He further criticized the team's batting performance as "pretty ordinary" in both home and away matches.
Bowling critique
Gavaskar questions Morkel's role in India's bowling strategy
Gavaskar also expressed concerns over the team's bowling strategy, especially questioning Morne Morkel's role as the bowling coach. He pointed out how no short balls were bowled to Australian players Travis Head and Pat Cummins, even though everyone suggested it. "So therefore, you are going to ask the bowling coach, what was happening?" Gavaskar asked during his interview with India Today.
Domestic focus
Gavaskar questions commitment to domestic cricket after series loss
After the six-wicket loss in Sydney, Gambhir had said he wants every player to play domestic cricket. However, Gavaskar questioned how serious they are about it, saying "only time will tell" if it's more than lip service. He also slammed some players for taking their positions for granted and challenged them to respond positively to the coach's call for more domestic play.