"No reason to rebuke him publicly" - 1983 WC winner slams Gautam Gambhir for blasting Kris Srikkanth ahead of AUS vs IND 2025 series

Former Indian pacer Balvinder Sandhu slammed head coach Gautam Gambhir for criticizing Kris Srikkanth regarding his remarks on Harshit Rana's selection in the ODI and T20I squads for the upcoming tour of Australia. For the uninitiated, Srikkanth was unimpressed with India consistently picking Harshit in all their squads since Gambhir took over as head coach last year.

The former captain even suggested that there may be some favoritism, given Harshit and Gambhir working with each other in the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) setup in IPL 2024. When asked about Srikkanth's remarks after the conclusion of the home Test series against the West Indies, Gambhir defended Harshit's selection by launching a scathing attack on Srikkanth.

In his column for the Mid Day, Sandhu shared his views on the debacle by saying:

"One can choose to agree or disagree, but there’s no reason to rebuke him publicly. Yes, Srikkanth has his own flamboyant style of speaking, just like his batting, and that’s exactly what we love about him. It’s true that sometimes former players may go a bit overboard and face trolling on social media, but that doesn’t take away their right to speak about the game they’ve served with such passion."

He continued:

"Their views should be taken in the spirit in which they are offered — with respect and an open mind. As head coach, it’s always wiser to focus on the battle on hand rather than opening too many fronts and losing sight of the main goal. I was genuinely pained to read Gautam Gambhir publicly rebuking Srikkanth’s views and speaking harshly about a former player in the media."

Harshit debuted for India at the end of last year in the Test series in Australia. He went on to make his India debut in the white-ball formats also earlier this year and has played 10 matches for them across formats.

"It’s a position of responsibility and dignity, not of personal ego" - Balvinder Sandhu

Balvinder Sandhu advised Gautam Gambhir to maintain dignity as the Indian head coach without allowing personal ego to come to the forefront. Srikkanth was India's chief selector when they won the 2011 ODI World Cup, with Gambhir top-scoring in the final against Sri Lanka.

"In the professional world of sport, once you take on the role of head coach, you represent not just yourself, but the entire cricketing fraternity. It’s a position of responsibility and dignity, not of personal ego. One should always learn from those who have held the role before and remember that leadership is best shown through calm focus and example, not reaction," said Sandhu (via the aforementioned source).

He concluded:

"Having coached Gautam at the NCA when he was an U-19 player, I’d like to remind him to stay focused on improving the team’s performance and winning major tournaments. That’s the best way to silence unfair critics. Every coach faces criticism — fair or unfair — during their tenure. It’s part of the job."

Gambhir has endured mixed results since taking over as India's head coach. The side has dominated in the white-ball formats, winning the Champions Trophy and the Asia Cup this year.

However, India suffered back-to-back Test series losses to New Zealand at home and in Australia at the end of last year.