“Gautam Gambhir gets hate unnecessarily” - Ex-Indian cricketer comes out in support of Team India head coach

Former Indian all-rounder and commentator Irfan Pathan has come out in support of the Indian team head coach Gautam Gambhir, who has been constantly receiving a lot of flak on social media.

While Gambhir was at the receiving end for his selection calls in the Leeds Test, which India lost by five wickets, he and Shubman Gill made the right selection calls for the Birmingham Test, which India won by 336 runs, the biggest away win in terms of runs.

"I feel Gautam Gambhir gets hate unnecessarily. No one wants the team to lose sitting there. He also wants them to win. He also wants to make decisions that benefit the team. England also made 400 in the first innings. India were at 400 and had lost six wickets and then came a 100 plus stand involving Sundar. If a similar collapse to the first Test had happened there, then it would be a leveled battle after the first innings. That opportunity was taken from England because of a big partnership. England were almost out of the game," Irfan Pathan said on his YouTube channel.

Washington Sundar, who came in place of Shardul Thakur ahead of Kuldeep Yadav, has put in decent returns, scoring 54 runs with the willow and scalped an important wicket of Ben Stokes on Day 5 to open the gates. Irfan hailed Gambhir’s tactics to bring in Sundar ahead of Kuldeep.

"The move to play Sundar worked in the batting. In bowling as well he took the important wicket of Ben Stokes when a partnership was going on. Everyone knows what he can do. These small contributions are important in the game," he added.

"It was being said that India is not thinking about 20 wickets because Kuldeep is not playing. How did you decide it? I had posted on X that I don't think Washington playing is a negative. It is a positive. Till he doesn't bowl or bat you don't know. Till the whole team doesn't bowl how do you they don't have the ability to pick 20 wickets? They do and it is seen. You make your mind before itself, there were several questions before itself," he concluded.

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