NEW DELHI: Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh has backed Gautam Gambhir amid the criticism the India head coach has faced since taking charge of the national team. India won the T20 World Cup, Champions Trophy and Asia Cup under Gambhir. However, the Test team suffered heavy defeats against Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, including home-series whitewashes against New Zealand and South Africa. Gambhir's handling of the Test team has faced criticism from fans and experts.
Harbhajan, however, does not understand why the coach gets so much blame when a team does not perform. "Why is Gautam getting so much flak? I have never understood why when a team doesn't do well, people always tend to blame the coach. The Gautam that I have known, was a very passionate player of his time, one who always put the team first," Harbhajan told PTI.
'Bohot Badhiya Banda hai woh' Harbhajan recalled that Gambhir was an introvert when he first joined the Indian team and had a small group of close friends. "When he (Gambhir) first came into the team as a youngster, he would only interact with a select few players and would hang out with them. In those days, his friends used to be Viru (Virender Sehwag), Amit Mishra, Munaf Patel. I don't know if he is still friends with them, I guess they still are," he said. "Bohot Badhiya Banda hai woh (Gautam is a top guy). He is very straightforward. For many people, Gautam might say bitter things but what he speaks is the bitter truth. Now, many people can't digest the truth, and perhaps the tone of his comments makes people feel that he is a slightly difficult person," Harbhajan tried to make a case for Gambhir's demeanour. Harbhajan also said people should not judge Gambhir based only on his public image. "Don't judge a book by its cover. He is a brilliant guy. He has got a good sense of how the game should be played. I know one thing for sure. Now that he is the coach, he will want his team to imbibe just one philosophy and that is 'Play To Win'," he said. "He is someone who will not mind a defeat if the intent is to win a match. If a team goes for a draw, probably he won't take it," the former spinner said.