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'Respect' - Former Aussie Captain Backs Gambhir After Controversy With Ponting

Aashay Chopade

Gambhir recently lashed out on Ponting for his comments on Indian stars (Source:@VAAChandran/X.com)Gambhir recently lashed out on Ponting for his comments on Indian stars (Source:@VAAChandran/X.com)

The mind games and sledging between Australian and Indian players have started. The first Test of the five-match series between the two teams is all set to start on 22nd of November at the Optus Stadium in Perth and the Indian team is under pressure after getting whitewashed at home from New Zealand recently.

The form of star players like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma is also concerning, and in a recent interview, Ricky Ponting too touched on it. However, it did not go well with the Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir and he lashed out at Ponting stating that he should not comment on Indian players.

Michael Clarke Calls For More Patience With Gautam Gambhir

Now, in an exclusive interview with RevSportz, Michael Clarke, the former Australian captain and Ponting's teammate has shared his views on Gautam Gambhir. Clarke stated that he has tremendous respect for Gautam Gambhir and he enjoyed playing against him. Clarke also mentioned that Gambhir has big shoes to fill as Dravid was a fantastic coach and he should be given more time.

"I have tremendous respect for Gautam. He was a tough cricketer and I enjoyed playing against him. You need such men in the change room, for they will not back down. Rahul Dravid was a fantastic coach and also won the World Cup for India. Gautam has big shoes to fill, but please give him time. For any coach, it will take time to get used to the change room and to the team."

The former right-handed batter also emphasised on the fact that winning and losing are part of job, but displayed confidence in Gambhir's commitment towards his role. Clarke called for some patience and stated that the next one year will define Gambhir's legacy as coach.

"Gautam has just taken over and the pressure in India is immense. You need to give him time to get used to the job. That’s only fair. In sport, wins or losses are part and parcel of the job. But with Gautam, you will get complete commitment to the job. That’s what he was like as a player, so like I said, you should give him a little time to get going on the job. The next one year will define him as coach." 

Gautam Gambhir took over India's head coach role from the Sri Lanka tour and it has been a mixed-bag so far with India losing an ODI series and Test series against Sri Lanka and New Zealand respectively.