Delhi: From sharing the same dressing room for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the IPL to the controversy during a 2015 Ranji Trophy match, Gautam Gambhir and Manoj Tiwary have seen a lot together. Currently, Gambhir is the head coach of India and is facing criticism due to his recent poor performance in Tests.
Manoj Tiwari targeted
Gambhir took over the coaching of the Indian team in 2024 after leading KKR to their third IPL win. However, Tiwari raised questions that Gambhir does not have coaching experience and has only done mentoring.
Difference between coaching and mentoring
Manoj Tiwari said while talking to Hindustan Times, “The results are clearly visible. You lost the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, and to top it all, you lost the home series against New Zealand. this is unacceptable. The effect of lack of experience in coaching is clearly visible. Had they had coaching experience anywhere before? Mentoring and coaching are different things. How will you deliver good results without experience? This is what is happening, and the results are in front of everyone. If he learns from his mistakes and improves, only better results will come.”
Why was Gambhir called a ‘hypocrite’?
Tiwari called Gambhir a ‘hypocrite’ and cited an old interview of his. He said, “Gambhir had said that foreign coaches do not understand emotions. Then why did they choose foreign coaches (Ryan ten Doeschate and Morne Morkel)? This is a contradiction in his words and actions. That’s why I called him a hypocrite.”
Player selection and controversies
Recently Nitish Rana and Harshit Rana supported Gambhir on social media. However, Tiwari believes that this is a “PR game”. He said, “For example, why would Nitish Rana and Harshit Rana not support Gautam Gambhir? Harshit Rana played in place of Akash Deep in Perth. How was this possible? What did Akash Deep do wrong? He bowled brilliantly against Bangladesh and New Zealand. As a fast bowler, you dream of bowling in favorable conditions, but you left him out and included Harshit, who does not have that much first-class experience. Akash Deep has great records. This is a completely biased selection. That’s why the players will come forward and defend him.”
2015 Ranji Trophy controversy
Recalling the 2015 Ranji Trophy controversy, the former KKR player said, “Everyone heard every word that came out of Gautam Gambhir’s mouth when he had a fight with me during the Ranji Trophy match in Delhi. Whether he was speaking ill about Sourav Ganguly or abusing my family, he was saved by some people. This is the PR I’m talking about. The process of selecting players and placing them in the playing eleven is not happening properly.”
