Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar urged BCCI to keep Head Coach Gautam Gambhir away from the press conferences after the pre-departure media interaction. Team India departed to Australia for the five-match test series.
Gambhir spoke to the media during India’s pre-departure press conference, responding to various questions, including the series loss to New Zealand and the current forms of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. However, his approach to answering these questions was not impressive, with Sanjay Manjrekar highlighting how brief and blunt Gambhir’s responses were.
“Rohit & Agarkar much better guys to front up for the media“- Sanjay Manjrekar
Gambhir’s press conferences haven’t been as smooth or clear as they used to be, with the coach often giving outdated answers, said Manjrekar. As a broadcaster, Gambhir was always direct and to the point, but that same energy seems to be missing in his role as head coach of Team India. Manjrekar suggested that the BCCI should limit Gambhir’s role to inside the dressing room and instead recommended that captain Rohit Sharma and Chief Selector Ajit Agarkar should take the media interactions.
“Just watched Gambhir in the press conference. May be wise for BCCI to keep him away from such duties, let him work behind the scenes. He does not have the right demeanour nor the words when interacting with them. Rohit & Agarkar much better guys to front up for the media,” Manjrekar posted on X.
Gambhir was rightly pointed out, as both Rohit Sharma and Ajit Agarkar handled important media interactions in the past. The two first joined forces in Delhi last August to announce India’s squad for the 2023 Asia Cup, where they gave more detailed answers to the media’s questions. In comparison, Gambhir’s press conferences have been short, with his responses often lacking the depth or insight offered by the Indian captain or his former Indian teammate. His press conference on Monday felt flat, and especially when asked about players like KL Rahul and Shubman Gill, Gambhir’s answers didn’t feel right. It almost seemed like he was in a hurry to finish the session and get on the flight to Australia
“Rohit and I get along very well”- Gautam Gambhir
In his 20-minute chat with the media, Gambhir confirmed that there is still no update on Skipper Rohit Sharma’s availability for the first Test in Perth, starting on November 22. However, he mentioned that if Rohit can’t play, one of Abhimanyu Easwaran or KL Rahul would open with Yashasvi Jaiswal. Gambhir also said that Jasprit Bumrah would lead as captain if Rohit misses out. Gambhir also extended his support for the struggling senior duo of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, noting that they are still eager to achieve more despite being at the back end of their careers.
The head coach also addressed reports about a possible rift between him and captain Rohit Sharma, dismissing them as just rumors. “Rohit and I get along very well,” Gambhir said, shutting the heat that he’s facing from India’s poor performance against New Zealand at home.
Star Batter Virat Kohli has already touched down in Perth ahead of the others, while Gambhir and the rest of the players are expected to land by Tuesday afternoon in IST.
