"Every system takes time to take effect" - One of Gautam Gambhir's biggest on-field nemesis backs under-fire Team India coach
Gautam Gambhir and Shahid Afridi were not the best friends on the cricket field. Their lack of admiration for each other spilled over into off-field controversies. Over the years, the former cricketers have exchanged barbs many times.
In a recent interview with Pakistan's Geo News, though, Afridi batted for one of his biggest on-field nemesis, who finds himself in the firing line in the wake of the extremely poor start he has had in his stint as Team India's head coach.
India went down to Australia by 10 wickets in the pink-ball Test in Adelaide on Sunday, December 8. The day-night ended well inside three days as the visitors were handed an absolute hammering. Sharing his thoughts on Gambhir's rough start as India's head coach, Afridi commented (as quoted by News 18):
“Gautam has been the coach of the Kolkata Knight Riders and won, which means he has delivered something that the team won. Now has the responsibility of coaching the Indian team. Coaching the national team is a very big responsibility. He has been appointed recently. Every system takes time to take effect."
“If it is any person, I say give him time at the least," the 47-year-old went on to add.
India began their tour of Australia on a positive note, beating the Aussies by 295 runs in the first Test in Perth to register their biggest Test win Down Under in terms of runs. However, the hosts made a strong comeback in Adelaide to level the five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy 1-1.
How Gautam Gambhir has fared in his stint as India's head coach so far
Gambhir took over from Rahul Dravid as Team India's head coach after the latter's tenure ended following the Men in Blue's triumph in the 2024 T20 World Cup in June. There were plenty of expectations from the former India batter, who mentored Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to victory in IPL 2024.
Gambhir's first assignment as Team India's head coach was the white-ball series in Sri Lanka. The Men in Blue thumped the Lankans 3-0 in T20Is, but lost the ODI series 2-0, registering their first bilateral ODI series loss against Sri Lanka since 1997.
At home, India hammered Bangladesh 2-0 in a two-match Test series. However, they suffered their first home whitewash in a series of three or more matches as New Zealand stunned them 3-0.
As per reports, the future of the current India head coach could depend on how the visitors fare in the ongoing series Down Under.