Sanjay Manjrekar has told Gautam Gambhir to take a chill pill after Gambhir’s comments about Shubman Gill after the Old Trafford Test. Manjrekar also said India’s success in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy wasn’t because of Gambhir’s strategies, but despite them, since the coach’s choices have made things tough for the young team.
India drew at Old Trafford after giving up a 311-run lead in the first innings. Gill, Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja all scored centuries. Soon after, Gambhir told the media that anyone who doubted Gill didn’t understand cricket. Manjrekar who wanted Jasprit Bumrah to replace Rohit Sharma instead of Gill wasn’t happy.
You can tell certain questions bother him, especially when people question Gill as a young captain and batter. And those are fair questions. People who know cricket well also wonder if it was the right time to give him this chance. I hope we can all understand this better, Manjrekar said, according to PTI.
It’s not about ‘you guys think’ and ‘we think’ – we’re all in this together. I’d like him to relax and be open to tough questions. I don’t know if that will happen, he added.
Gambhir was also asked about Karun Nair being left out of the team for Sai Sudharsan. He said the team doesn’t believe in ‘dropping’ players, but only selecting the ‘best 11’.
And to say that Karun Nair ‘wasn’t dropped’… come on. You see it as a drop; for them it’s about ‘picking the right team’. If someone is dropped, he is dropped, Manjrekar said.
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Manjrekar thinks India’s fight is because of the players, not Gambhir.
For Manjrekar, the draw at Old Trafford didn’t change the fact that Gambhir has only won four of his 14 Tests in charge.
I think India has done well despite some of his tactical decisions. India lost 3-0 at home to New Zealand and lost to Australia away. The fight we’ve seen in this team is because of the players. Gambhir’s choices haven’t always made things easier, he added July 31.
