[ad_1]
Gautam Gambhir lauded Rahul Dravid’s coaching stint, calling it a successful one but reminded captain Rohit Sharma that the team wants to win the World Cup for the country and not any particular individual. Gambhir was reacting to a question about Dravid’s future as India head coach. The former India captain’s tenure has come to an end after the ODI World Cup and if reports are to be believed then he is unlikely to seek an extension. Dravid failed to bring an end to India’s ICC trophy drought losing to two finals and a semi-final but he achieved huge success in bilaterals. India are currently No.1 in the ICC rankings of all three formats.
Gambhir said Dravid’s contract should definitely be renewed if he wants to continue. “Dravid’s contract as head coach should be automatically renewed. The kind of cricket that India played throughout the World Cup, if you are going to judge a coach by just one match then it is a wrong precedent,” he said on Sportskeeda.
The former India opener, who has played under in the early stages of his career, however, expressed his reservations against Rohit’s statements before the World Cup final. On the eve of the final against Australia, Rohit had said that the team wanted to win the trophy for head coach Dravid for the kind of efforts he has put in for the betterment of the players.
“The way he stood by the players in difficult times, especially during the T20 World Cup, where we had a good run up until that semifinal, where we lost. How he reacted to certain situations and informed the players was helpful. He wants to be part of this big occasion, and it’s for us to do it for him,” the Indian captain had said.
Gambhir said Rohit shouldn’t have made such a statement to the media. The former opener gave the example of the 2011 World Cup where many Indian players openly said that they wanted to win the World Cup for Sachin Tendulkar.
‘You try to win World Cup for the country, not for any individual?’: Gambhir
“Every player, every coach wants to win the World Cup. If he wants a renewal then definitely he should be given that chance. What better than continuity? I would never understand one thing. It happened during our time in 2011 too. When you say that you want to win the World Cup an individual, doesn’t matter who that is… this statement is not right.
“You are trying to win the World Cup for the entire country. And if you want to say such a thing then don’t say it in the media. Keep it within yourself. The truth is, it is more important to win a World Cup for the nation. I was asked the same in 2011 when everyone said we were trying to win the World Cup for one individual, I said no I want to win the Cup for my country. I picked up the bat for my country. So Rohit probably shouldn’t have said this.
Gambhir, however again reiterated that Dravid should remain the India head coach and build towards the next T20 and ODI World Cups.
“But as far as Dravid’s coaching credentials are concerned, he should be definitely given an extension if he wants to continue. I’, very happy with his tenure. And not just for a year but at least two years because India will enter a rebuilding phase soon. You might not see Rohit Sharma, Bumrah and Shami in the next World Cup. So it’s important to build towards the 50 over World Cup,” he added.
[ad_2]
Source link