Shahid Afridi came out in support of Gautam Gambhir
Photo : AP
KEY HIGHLIGHTS
- Gautam Gambhir found support from a surprise source
- Shahid Afridi called for Gambhir to be give more time
- Gambhir took charge of the team in July
Gautam Gambhir's tenure as the head coach of the Indian cricket team has got off to a less than ideal start as his first assignment saw the Men in Blue lost a bilateral ODI series to Sri Lanka after 27 years before the Rohit Sharma-led side were beaten 3-0 by New Zealand in what was the first instance of India being whietwashed at home in a Test series of three or more matches.
While the stunning 295-run victory in the Perth Test againt Australia came as relief, the 10-wicket thrashing in the second Test has brought things back on square one for Gambhir and Team India as they face an uphill battle to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) and are set to miss out on the World Test Championship for the first time in history.
With the pressure increasing on Gambhir, he has found support from a surprise source as former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi called for him to be given more time. Afridi explained that putting a new system in place takes time to show its effect and stated that the Indian head coach should be judged after 8-9 months.
"Gautam has got the responsibility because he was the coach of the Kolkata Knight Riders that won the IPL. This means that he has something in him. Coaching a franchise and leading a national team is a big responsibility. He has just come in; it has just been 1-2 times. Whenever someone comes, it takes time. It is not just the responsibility of the national team; you have to go to a lower level. Whichever coaches and directors are there, you have communication with them on what kind of players you need and what bowlers you need. Whenever someone new comes in, I say give them time. Give 8-9 months or a year. Every system takes time to affect," said Afridi on a podcast with GEO URDU.
During their playing days, Gambhir and Afridi were known to have a rivalry with a heated altercation during an ODI match in 2007 at the Green Park Stadium fresh in the minds of cricket fans.
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