With India on the verge of losing yet another Test series, former batsman Manoj Tiwary has taken shots at India head coach Gautam Gambhir’s strategy and selection policies.
Gambhir took charge of the team last year by replacing Rahul Dravid and things have not gone well for him in red-ball cricket. While India have done really well in white-ball cricket, they have struggled to replicate that success in Tests.
Last year, India suffered a crushing 3-0 whitewash at home against New Zealand before losing the series in Australia as well. And the team is now on the verge of losing the ongoing five-match Test series in England too. England are in the driver’s seat in the ongoing fourth Test and will wrap up the series if they win the match.
In reply to India’s first innings total of 358 runs, England finished day three on 544/7. The hosts have a lead of 186 runs and India are in danger of suffering an innings loss.
Manoj Tiwary takes shot at Gautam Gambhir:
With India struggling in yet another Test match under Gautam Gambhir, Manoj Tiwary has questioned the team-management’s strategy in red-ball cricket. The former India batsman questioned Gambhir’s preference for allrounders over specialist players.
“I have said it earlier also that Test match is a game of specialists but we’re keeping them out and trusting all-rounders more,” Manoj Tiwary told IANS.
Interestingly, Manoj Tiwary did not take Gambhir’s name but just mentioned him as head coach, saying: “Since the arrival of head coach (Gautam Gambhir), there is a pattern of dropping underperforming players from the squad and adding players from the outside.
“This we’ve seen in India-Zealand series, when we brought Washington Sundar from outside over Ashwin, who was in the squad. On Australia tour, we played Devdutt Padikkal and Harshit Rana. Now, Harshit is missing and not among favourites anymore as we’re playing Anshul Kamboj in this Test,” he added.
Speaking further, the Bengal stalwart also criticised Gambhir for not giving the players a long rope. He also pointed out that the strategy of relying on part-time allrounders won’t work in Test matches.
“There is no stability and he is not able to trust his players for a long duration. His thinking of playing part-time all-rounders and winning a Test match is not possible. The players who have played for a long time, including me, I’m a strong believer of specialist players,” he added.
Manoj Tiwary and Gautam Gambhir’s relation:
Manoj Tiwary and Gautam Gambhir played together for Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL and for Team India as well but share a strained and bitter relationship. Earlier this year, Tiwary opened up on the incident that started the whole saga. He revealed that Gambhir abused him when he came out to bat during a Ranji Trophy match in Delhi.
“When he was constantly abusing, I remember Sourav Ganguly had just joined CAB (Cricket Association of Bengal). He was speaking rubbish about him too. He said things like ‘Woh apna jack laga ke aa gaya. Tu bhi uske peeche aa gaya? Tu bhi yeh sab karke pohuch gaya. (He used his sources to reach where he has, and you too followed him? You’re up to such shenanigans too)’.
“When I told Dada, he said ‘theek hai‘ (It’s fine). My duty was to convey it to him. You can see that he [Gambhir] has anger issue. After that day, there’s no scope of us talking or meeting,” Tiwary was quoted as saying to The Lallantop.
“I have never heard anybody give such abuses. If anybody abuses your mother, you should not take it lying down. I am not a person who can handle abuses quietly. I asked him, ‘Gauti bhai, why are you talking like this?’. Then the over got over.
“Then I lost cool. He said, ‘meet me in the evening, I will thrash you’. I said, ‘why evening? let’s do it now.’ The match was in Delhi. No player ever talked to me in that way. All media persons present heard all the words that came out from his mouth,” Tiwary added.
