‘If You Are Not Convinced’: Ajay Jadeja Calls Out Unfair Criticism Over India Coach Gautam Gambhir

The return of Gautam Gambhir to the India squad met with a certain amount of criticism as the new head coach of Team India failed to meet expectations. Sri Lanka handed team India a heavy defeat in ODIs and then against New Zealand in test cricket. Complaints soared up over the former cricketer’s coaching skills. But Ajay Jadeja has backed Gambhir amidst all the turmoil.

Ajay Jadeja stood by head coach Gautam Gambhir regarding the backlash that he endured after the team’s 0–3 thrashing by New Zealand, claiming it is unjust considering the short amount of time he has been in the position. The former India middle-order batsman also stated that Gambhir is a very straightforward individual who has made this apparent throughout his life.

“I think you are being unfair to him… If you will start judging people on the basis of their coaching role or whatever way it is being looked at, it is too short a time to for people to be judged. If you are not convinced that he is good, then one performance here or there will be able to convince anyone. I don’t think it is the time to judge him, it is the time we should enjoy him.

“So, there are phases and it will come, sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. So, I won’t go into that direction and start judging him (Gambhir) in six months. You knew what you were asking for and what you were getting. He is a very clear-cut person, and he has made it clear throughout his life. So, what your are seeing now is what everyone expected of him to do,” Ajay Jadeja said while speaking to PTI.

The former India cricketer also spoke about Rohit Sharma joining the team camp in Australia after he took a break for the birth of his second child. Ajay Jadeja believes that the addition of Rohit in the die will offer a boost to the Men in Blue’s confidence after they thrashed Australia in Perth.

“Him (Rohit Sharma) coming back to the team will surely boost India’s confidence, for sure. He is a leader, when the chips were down, team was going down, he stood up there as the leader and now when the team is going up, he will be again there as the leader,” Jadeja added.