NEW DELHI: Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin came to the defence of head coach Gautam Gambhir amid the heavy criticism of his strategy and game plan after a 0-2 home Test series sweep against South Africa.
Fans and former cricketers raised questions over Gambhir’s style of coaching after India suffered their second Test series sweep in two years. In the two-match series, Indian batters looked out of touch and failed to stitch big partnerships or individual scores to give a fight against the reigning World Test Championship winners.
"Why are we doing this? It's a sport. Managing a team cannot be that easy. And yes, he is hurting too. We must understand that. It might feel nice to get someone sacked, but that's not how it should be, " Ashwin said in his YouTube show 'Ash ki Baat'.
"I've never been that kind of person. It's not about supporting anyone; Gautam is not my relative. I could also point out 10 mistakes. Yes, mistakes happen, but anybody can make them. It's just that when they cost you, they become very expensive, " he added.