Manoj Tiwary criticizes Gautam Gambhir following India's BGT defeat
What's the story
Former Indian cricketer Manoj Tiwary has launched a scathing attack on national team coach Gautam Gambhir, calling him a "hypocrite." The attack comes in the aftermath of India's dismal performance in the Border Gavaskar Trophy. Tiwary believes Gambhir's actions don't match his words, and that's why he has been so harsh in his critique. Here are the details.
Team bias
Tiwary questions Gambhir's team selection strategy
Tiwary has also questioned Gambhir's team selection strategy, especially his fondness for Mumbai players. He pointed out the selection of Rohit Sharma as captain and Abhishek Nayar in the team, both of whom are from Mumbai. "Where is the captain (Rohit) from? Mumbai. Where is Abhishek Nayar from? Mumbai," Tiwary said during an interview with News18 Bangla.
Player defense
Tiwary defends Jalaj Saxena and criticizes 'yes men' culture
Tiwary also came out in support of Jalaj Saxena, a player who always delivers but is never given a chance. He slammed the 'yes men' culture in the team, implying that players are selected on the basis of their agreement with Gambhir. "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," he added.
Shared victory
Tiwary refutes Gambhir's sole credit for KKR's 2012 win
Further, Tiwary challenged the narrative that Gambhir single-handedly took Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to their 2012 title victory. He stressed it was a team effort, with players like Jacques Kallis, Manvinder Bisla, and himself playing a huge part. "Gambhir's captaincy didn't guide KKR to the title single-handedly. We all performed as a unit," he said.
Performance pressure
Gambhir under scrutiny after India's recent losses
Gambhir is under the scanner after India's recent losses. The team lost the Border Gavaskar Trophy to Australia, their first defeat in this series in a decade. India were outplayed by the Aussies, who won 3-1 and reached the ICC World Test Championship final. Before this, India had also been whitewashed 3-0 at home by New Zealand in Tests. It was a new low for Indian cricket.