Former Indian cricketer Robin Uthappa has spoken up in defence of Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir after the latter has been targetted following India's 30-run defeat in the in the first Test of the two-match series against South Africa.
Uthappa hinted that the players had more to do with the defeat than the coach himself. The erstwhile wicketkeeper-batter said that he was also unable to understand the reason behind the flak which Rahul Dravid used to receive when he was the coach of the national
team.
"I saw a comment yesterday suggesting that I was defending GG. Yaar, coach thodi jaake khel raha hai andar (my friend, it's not as if the coach is playing out there). We are looking at the results and blaming a coach, but you have to look at the overall scenario. When they criticised Rahul Dravid, it didn't make sense to me. Scoring 20-30 thousand international runs is not easy. So if he can be trolled, anyone can be trolled," stated Uthappa in a video on his YouTube channel.
While Gambhir has found considerable success in the white-ball format with title wins in the Champions Trophy and the Asia Cup this year, Test cricket has been a far more demanding challenge for him. The loss in Kolkata was India's ninth in 18 matches Gambhir's tenure.
Gambhir had recently suggested that the team management had asked for a spin-friendly pitch and that the problem was in the execution of batting department, and not the pitch. Veterans like Sunil Gavaskar defended Gambhir's view and expressed that the pitch was not an issue for the hosts.
India failed to chase 124, as they were bundled out for 93. The Proteas took the lead, with the Test finishing inside three fays. The second match will be played at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati from November 22.
