"Coach Has To Adjust To The Team": Ex-India Star's Massive Remark For Gautam Gambhir

Former India all-rounder Sanjay Bangar shared his views on the recent change in India's captaincy. Notably, Team India passed the ODI captaincy baton from Rohit Sharma to the young Shubman Gill in the build-up to the next Cricket World Cup, which will take place two years from now. This move makes Gill the skipper across two formats - ODIs and Tests - while Suryakumar Yadav continues to lead the T20I side. When asked how easy or difficult it is for a coach to manage two or three different captains across formats, Bangar gave a blunt response.

He stated that it is the coach who has to adjust to the team, not the other way around. Bangar added that the decision to appoint Gill as ODI captain must have been taken by the selectors, and not by India's head coach Gautam Gambhir.

"As far as I know, it cannot be the coach's call. The coach has to work with the team he has got. It's not about the coach's comfort. The coach has to adjust to the team. It's not the other way round. That's how it happens in cricket. You have a highly capable batter in Shubman Gill. He has age on his side and has an experience of 5-6 years in international cricket. So, I think it is the selectors who have taken the call," he said during a discussion on Star Sports.

Former India wicketkeeper-batter Parthiv Patel, however, differed with Bangar.

"It's an absolutely fair call. Coach Gautam Gambhir also mentioned in his interview that people need to think about me also. We have been thinking that the team is of the captain but the way coaches work these days, the effort that goes behind the scenes. It's not easy for them to work with captains, who may have different philosophies, especially if they are not even travelling together. Shubman Gill is one player who travels with the team in all formats. It is not easy to plan and keep communicating. I'm with Gautam Gambhir at this time when he said he needed only two captains and not three," Parthiv said.

Topics mentioned in this article

Cricket Shubman Gill Rohit Sharma Parthiv Patel Gautam Gambhir Sanjay Bangar