India head coach Gautam Gambhir has spoken out candidly about the difficulties he faces with team selection, stressing that choosing only eleven players from a pool of talented individuals is the most challenging part of his role.
He emphasized the importance of honest and transparent communication with players, especially when they are left out of the playing XI. While chatting with BCCI's official channel, the India head coach revealed about the team selection process.
"The communication needs to be very clear, very honest. Obviously, sometimes, those are hard conversations to have. If you tell someone that he is not playing. That's the toughest conversation for a coach and a player as well," said Gambhir.
Gambhir also strongly rejected conspiracy
theories regarding team selection, praising the dressing room for its transparency and urging respect for the internal decision-making process.
"Some players do understand that it's a communication between a player and a coach and I think it should stay till there rather than people making a lot of hue and cry and theories about it. That's something that this group, and the support staff have done brilliantly," he added.
Despite criticism, including for benching players like Sanju Samson, Kuldeep Yadav, and Arshdeep Singh, Gambhir's approach has fostered a healthy team environment. India recently extended their unbeaten T20I streak by defeating Australia 2-1, and the team now prepares for a Test series against South Africa starting November 14.
In addition to addressing team dynamics, Gambhir has been a vocal defender of young pacer Harshit Rana amid controversy over his selection. After Harshit faced severe criticism, including from former selector Krishnamachari Srikkanth who questioned his place in the squad, Gambhir condemned the personal attacks and defended Rana's merit-based rise.
He said, "It's unfair that you are not even sparing a 23-year-old kid. Whatever cricket he has played, he has played on his own merit, and in the future too, he will play on his own merit. " Gambhir highlighted the mental toll such undue criticism takes on a young player, stating, "You can criticise me; I can handle it. But a 23-year-old boy is a 23-year-old boy, and this is unacceptable. "
