Gautam Gambhir’s rough visage does nothing to dispel the assumption that he is undergoing tough times.
His tone is assertive and one could almost sense his pain at missing out on the joy of playing for India.
While the party in England was underway, Gambhir stood outside with his nose stuck to the window.
The sympathy for the southpaw may flow naturally, but his is a crisis of his own making. A successful team can carry a few underperforming cricketers. But when the side fails, those players stand crudely exposed.
In these testing times, Gambhir prefers to utter platitudes to the media. Sample this: “I have always worked on my batting. I’m not focusing on any particular technical aspect of my game presently.”
Here’s another contender for the trite statement of the year award: “There are good and bad days in cricket. It is part and parcel of the game,” said Gambhir, when asked to comment on India’s consecutive defeats in the tri-series in the West Indies.
Contrarian stand
However, to be fair to the 31-year-old, he did take a contrarian stand by stating that the amount of cricket being played nowadays is not excessive.
“If you look at the Champions Trophy, there were ample breaks between matches. There is no fatigue factor.”
Gambhir, speaking at a healthcare card launch, also welcomed the BCCI’s decision to keep a minimum gap of four days between Ranji matches from next season.
An early end to the day’s play arrived soon after, though, when the former India vice-captain was asked about Virat Kohli’s captaincy. Gambhir responded with a curt “Thank you” and walked away. — Sports Reporter
