Shahid Afridi reignites verbal feud with Gautam Gambhir, says 'you are not always...'

Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir has been the centre of attraction in recent weeks as he continues to be in the spotlight after India’s Test series defeat against South Africa. While the pressure is on the coach, former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi has reignited a feud with Gambhir, questioning his calls. Afridi reckons Gambhir has not walked the talk and is not always right with the decisions he has made.

Afridi reignites feud with Gambhir

“The way Gautam started his stint, it looked like he thought whatever he said was right. But after some time, it is proven that you are not always right,” Afridi said.

Afridi also recalled an incident from 2007 when he and Gambhir came head-to-head for a heated argument, sparking a feud during their playing days.

“I remember the run-in with Gambhir during the 2007 Asia Cup, when he completed his single while running straight into me. The umpires had to finish it off, or I would have. Clearly, we had a frank bilateral discussion about each other’s female relative,” he wrote.

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India’s defeat to South Africa in the Guwahati Test last month was their 10th under the Delhi gaffer, having lost more than 50 per cent of the matches. Having taken charge of 19 Test matches for India, Gambhir has helped India win seven and draw two. However, it is the number of defeats that make his position more vulnerable.

His 10 defeats in 19 matches, along with series defeats against New Zealand, Australia and now South Africa, have raised question marks on his performance as coach. Although India gave a good account of themselves in the series against England, they only managed a 2-2 draw.

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Last year’s defeat to New Zealand was also India’s first on home turf in 12 years. Interestingly, before the South Africa defeat, India had lost only two Test series on home turf in 24 outings, but have now lost two in 12 months and two in the last three outings at home.

For now, the pressure is off on Gambhir as he helped India win the ODI series against South Africa, as the Men in Blue gave a good account of themselves. India won the series 2-1 with Virat Kohli in sparkling form.