Shamik Chakrabarty in Dubai
Even by Gautam Gambhir’s fiery standards, the press conference was piquant. Words came like tracer bullets, and defenestration of naysayers and excuse-mongers was complete.
Sample this: “Some people are just perpetual cribbers, man. They have got to grow up.” Gambhir just flat-batted India’s ‘home advantage’ debate.
He went on… “First of all, this is as neutral a venue for us as it is for any other team,” the head coach told reporters after India’s four-wicket victory over Australia in the Champions Trophy semi-final here in Dubai on Tuesday. “We have not played here. I don’t remember which tournament we played in this stadium last. And in fact, we didn’t plan anything like that.”
He stuck to the two frontline spinners template and spoke about how it wouldn’t have changed even if India were playing in Pakistan. “The plan was that if you pick two front-line spinners in the 15-man squad, then even if we played in Pakistan or anywhere, we would have picked two front-line spinners because it was a competition in the subcontinent. So, it was nothing like we wanted to set up a spinners’ trap.”
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Gambhir pointed out that during the course of the ongoing ICC event, India didn’t have a single practice session at Dubai International Stadium, doing their training at the ICC Academy instead. “What undue advantage?” Gambhir parped. “We haven’t practiced here even for a day. We are practicing at the ICC Academy. And the conditions there and here are 180 degrees different. If you look at the wickets there and here, the difference is between the ground and the sky.”
For the uninitiated, Michael Atherton and Nasser Hussain, the two former England captains, had opined that India have been having an “undeniable advantage”, playing at one venue, as they conversed on Sky Sports Podcast. The outside noise grew louder after that, emanating from Pakistan in particular.
India remain unbeaten in the tournament, in their march to the final. In the lead-up, a lot of things were put under the scanner. Five spinners in the squad, one slow-bowler too many? Why KL Rahul ahead of Rishabh Pant in the playing XI? Is No. 6 the right position for Rahul?
The four-spinner ploy has been working wonders. Rahul played a brilliant hand in the semi-final, scoring 42 off 34 balls. And Axar Patel has seamlessly fitted into the No. 5 slot. No wonder Gambhir didn’t care two hoots about what critics said.
“I don’t care about it,” he shot back. “I don’t even care about it honestly. My job is to be honest to 140 crore Indians and to my players in the dressing room. I don’t care what people say about it, how they talk about it, whether they have got agendas, whether they have not got agendas, I don’t even care about it. If I’m honest to my job, that is all that matters and I can sleep in peace.”
The head coach served a reminder that in those five spinners, three are “quality all-rounders” and that Rahul “averages 50” in ODIs. He reiterated that batting order doesn’t matter in a team sport and it’s about making an impact.
Virat Kohli anchored another chase – 84 off 98 balls – although he didn’t stay till the end. How it feels like in the dressing room, when Kohli is out there in the middle in a run chase?
“It feels exactly the same – whoever is there in the middle,” Gambhir emphasised the collective, ostensibly keeping stardust on the back burner.
Also Read: Hardik Pandya, KL Rahul and how sport is a great leveller
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