Robin Uthappa, the former Indian batter, has slammed all those critics of Australia’s head coach, Gautam Gambhir, who is under intense scrutiny and allegations that his “coaching methods” have created “unrest” in India’s dressing room. Reports suggested that nothing was well inside the Indian team and this made many fans believe that all came with Gambhir’s presence. A good many of them had even likened him to India’s former head coach Greg Chappell.
However, according to Uthappa, who used to share the same dressing room with Gambhir at the time of their playing days for India and Kolkata Knight Riders, the 43-year-old’s coaching style differs from that of Chappell and he is very straightforward.
“What I learned, you indeed talked about Chappell. I disagree with you that his style is similar to Greg Chappell,” Uthappa said on The Lallantop.
“I do not agree with that. I have never met a more straightforward person than Gauti. He is very direct. You may not like what he says, but he will tell it to you on your face; you can be sure of that, and I love people like that. According to me, these people have a good life. They say whatever they are thinking, and that is enough. You get what you see; that is better than being a different person behind someone’s back. I prefer someone being straightforward with me, and Gauti is very, very straight.”
Uthappa believes that Gambhir has had a tough time as a head coach due to having to deal with different skippers and different teams filled with different personalities. “It’s totally a different jigsaw puzzle for him as far as managing these two different sides-in fact, three different leaders now-you’ve got SKY, Rohit, and then the ODI side is Hardik, right? It is still Rohit, sorry. There are those different styles he has to adjust to right now, one where he has complete control, with T20Is. He is running the ship and is taking SKY along and evolving him as a leader. There is freedom there-he likes to run the ship, and right now, after the World Cup and him joining the team, he’s joining a side of two,” he added.
After India captain Rohit Sharma chose to skip the fifth Test against Australia in Sydney recently, it was reported that he has been dropped from the playing XI by Gambhir and that all is not well between the two.
Uthappa, however, denied any simmering embers between the two men, claiming Gambhir admires Rohit. “It is not like the chemistry is not there. It is there, and you can see it in Gambhir’s interviews. He respects and likes Rohit a lot. Sometimes, these relationships take time because both are leaders with their own styles,” he added.
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