Srinagar: Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif has claimed that a last day series draw vs England saved Team India coach Gautam Gambhir’s job as he was under lot of pressure in the backdrop of recent results.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Kaif said Gambhir faced the most scrutiny during the tour, especially following previous Test series defeats at home against New Zealand and Australia.
“The most pressure on this tour was on him. As a coach, he hadn’t been very successful in Tests. I feel people were just waiting, if India had lost this series, most of the criticism would have been directed at him,” Kaif said.
“There are people on social media ready to troll him or make memes. Maybe this would have been his last Test series as coach. That’s how much pressure he was under. But now, credit where it’s due, he deserves praise.”
Kaif also lauded Gambhir’s strategic decisions during the tour, particularly his insistence on batting depth even in the absence of key pacer Jasprit Bumrah.
“Everyone was saying Kuldeep should play in Bumrah’s absence. But Gambhir prioritised batting depth, wanting contributions down to number eight and it worked.
“Look at Jadeja and Sundar’s impact in the two Tests we won. It was a young team, and the pressure on him was huge,” he added.