Gautam Gambhir took a decision to bench Arshdeep Singh in the first two T20Is against Australia and include Harshit Rana in the playing XI. This gained a widespread criticism as Arshdeep Singh has been India’s top wicket-taker in T20Is. In the third T20I when Arshdeep got a chance he proved himself and took three wickets.
Now Gambhir has addressed the controversy which erupted after the exclusion of Kuldeep Yadav and Arshdeep Singh. He revealed that this is one of the most challenging part of his job as there are some deserving players who sometimes have to miss out on the playing XI.
Also Read: Gautam Gambhir opens up about new batting strategy of Indian team, says ‘When I took over…’
“That is the toughest part for me as a coach, and that is the toughest job I have. Sometimes, when I know there is so much quality sitting on the bench, and I know everyone deserves to be part of the playing XI, but ultimately, you can only pick 11, thinking about what is the best combination to do the job on that particular day.
“But for me, the most important thing is the conversation and the communication as well. The communication needs to be very clear, very honest. Sometimes, obviously, those are tough conversations to have. If you tell someone that he is not playing, it is probably the toughest conversation for both the coach and the player, because I know the player would be upset when he deserves to be part of the playing XI.”
“But if you are honest, if you are straightforward, if you know that what you are saying comes from the heart and there is nothing beyond that, some players do understand. And it’s a communication between a player and the coach, and I think it should stay there, rather than people making a lot of outcry and different theories about it. And that is something this group and the support staff have done brilliantly, because it has been a very transparent dressing room, an honest dressing room, and that is exactly how we want it to be,” he added.
The 44-year old has faced widespread criticism from fans and experts. Questions were raised over his decisions to drop in-form performers to accommodate other players.
