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"Most insecure cricketer": Paddy Upton's old statement on Gambhir resurfaces after SA loss

Harsh Adwani

Paddy Upton's old statement on Gautam Gambhir resurfaces {Source: @ImYorker93/x.com]Paddy Upton's old statement on Gautam Gambhir resurfaces {Source: @ImYorker93/x.com]

Indian Test cricket perhaps saw its lowest point when they lost to South Africa 2-0 in their two-match series. Out of the last seven games played at home, India have lost five. Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir has come under scrutiny following the poor showing in the last year. The situation worsened after his press conference in Guwahati, where he appeared unconfident.

A statement by former Indian mental conditioning coach Paddy Upton regarding Gambhir has now resurfaced. In his 2019 book called The Barefoot Coach, Upton described Gambhir as the “weakest and most insecure cricketer”. He added that the former Indian cricketer always doubted himself even in the most quiet situations.

“Gautam Gambhir was perhaps one of the weakest and mentally most insecure cricketers I worked with. He was constantly battling his inner world and questioning himself. His mind could be a noisy place, often filled with doubt during quiet moments,” he wrote.

His mental state did not hold him back, says Upton

However, Upton also mentioned that despite this, Gambhir was the most determined to do well for his team, and his ability to thrive under pressure showed his unique ability. Upton believes that he did his best as well as the most ineffective conditioning with Gambhir.

“But at the same time, he was one of the best, most determined and most successful Test batsmen in the world. His ability to perform under pressure, often during India’s toughest overseas tours, showed how extraordinary his competitive spirit was,” he continued.

“I did some of my best and also some of my most ineffective mental conditioning work with him. He could be unreachable one day and incredibly receptive the next. His inner standards were brutal. When he scored 150, he would be disappointed for not scoring 200,” he added.

The Indian head coach’s next assignment is the ODI series against South Africa. He would hope to leave what happened in Tests behind and bounce back quickly to do better in the white-ball series.