Former Australia captain Tim Paine has opined that India’s biggest concern during the 2024-25 Border Gavaskar Trophy is not captain Rohit Sharma or star batter Virat Kohli’s form. Instead, it is their head coach, Gautam Gambhir, who he feels lacks the “ability to stay calm under pressure”.
Gambhir had hit out at Ricky Ponting’s comments on Kohli’s form, saying "he should think about Australian cricket" instead.
The pre-series war of words continued as Ponting responded to Gambhir’s rebuttal, clarifying that his comments on Kohli weren’t a dig at him and that he would be keen to see the batter bounce back in Australia. Ponting also labelled Gambhir as "a prickly character", saying he was "not surprised it was him (Gambhir) who said something back."
Tim Paine: I don't love Gambhir's comments
Speaking on SEN Tassie, Paine defended Ponting, arguing that the latter's opinion was "spot on".
"I don’t love it [Gambhir's reply to Ponting]. It’s not a good sign I think, because all he [Ponting] was asked was a very simple question. I think he’s maybe looking at Ricky still as someone he’s playing against, but Ricky is a commentator now – he’s paid to give an opinion, and his opinion was spot on," Paine said.
He added: "Virat has been sliding, it is a concern, absolutely. But for me now, the biggest concern for India right now isn’t Rohit Sharma’s batting, isn’t Virat Kohli’s batting, it’s their coach and his ability to stay calm under pressure."
West Indies chase down 219 with an over left spare!
— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) November 16, 2024
It's their second highest successful chase in T20I cricket.#WIvENG pic.twitter.com/mD3Fx6cNeT
Paine: Shastri created a great environment
Paine also lavished praise on former India head coach Ravi Shastri under whom the tourists won their last two Test series in Australia.
"He created a great environment, the players were energised, they played with passion, he sold them the dream and motivated them in a really light-hearted enjoyable way. They have gone to a new coach now who is really prickly, really competitive – and that is not to say that’s not a good thing and a good way to coach – but my concern is that it’s not a great fit for the Indian cricket team," Paine opined.
Also read: KL Rahul injury update: What's the latest on the India batter's recovery?
India's first-ever series win Down Under came in 2018-19. Their next one, in 2020-21, was even more special as India turned the series on its head after being bowled out for their lowest-ever score of 36 in the first Test.
By the time they got to the final match at Gabba, several of their seniors were injured, forcing them to play multiple debutants. A thrilling fourth innings chase, led by Rishabh Pant’s unbeaten 89, helped them win the series 2-1.
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