Follow UsFormer spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has come out strongly in defence of Gautam Gambhir, the head coach of the Indian Test side, following India’s embarrassing two-home Test series loss to South Africa. The defeat, sealed by a record 408-run loss in the second Test at Guwahati, triggered widespread criticism, with many demanding Gambhir’s removal for shoddy management.
On his YouTube show “Ash ki Baat,” Ashwin questioned the logic of blaming only the coach.
“Why are we doing this? It’s a sport. Managing a team cannot be that easy. And yes, he is hurting too. We must understand that. It might feel nice to get someone sacked, but that’s not how it should be,” he said, as quoted by The Indian Express.
Ashwin further clarified that his support was not rooted in personal loyalty and emphasised the need to scrutinise players’ responsibilities, not just the coach’s decisions
“Gautam is not my relative. I could also point out 10 mistakes. Yes, mistakes happen, but anybody can make them. It’s just that when they cost you, they become very expensive,” the former Indian spinner said.
“We want to ask for responsibility. It’s easy, because in Indian cricket, you know it and I know it — there’s a lot to gain and a lot of money involved. So many people are ready to take the job, and there will always be people putting their hat in the ring. But the fact is, a coach cannot pick up the bat and go out to play.”
Ashwin added that shortcomings may exist in decision-making, but insisted it is unfair to lay the blame solely on Gambhir.
“I haven’t seen enough responsibility taken by enough players to say the coach is the problem… I didn’t see enough from the players’ side to blame decision-making alone. Sure, decision-making can always be better, no doubt,” he said.
“But I personally don’t like this individual attack, because we always look for someone to blame.”