Former Australian captain Tim Paine warned India head coach Gautam Gambhir and his style of coaching, saying that if the team do not start strong in Perth on November 22, it could be a “long summer” for the Indian team.
Paine also said that his “prickly” coaching style may not bode well for the Indian team on Australian soil.
Still in shocking waves from the unprecedented 0-3 loss to New Zealand at home, the Indian team will now face Australia in the five-test series, Border Gavaskar.
“Their last two series win out here they had Ravi Shastri who was fantastic. He created a great environment, the players were energised, they played with passion, he sold them the dream and motivated them in a light-hearted enjoyable way," Paine said.
“They (India) have gone to a new coach now that is prickly, really competitive -- and that not to say that’s not a good thing and a good way to coach -- but my concern is that it’s not a great fit for the Indian cricket team,” he added.
“If your coach is the first one to crack in a press conference after being asked a simple question, it could be a long summer for Gautam Gambhir if India doesn’t get off to a good start on Perth,” Paine maintained.
Paine's comments stemmed from a recent media interaction where Gambhir took issue with Ricky Ponting's remarks on Virat Kohli’s struggling form, saying that the Australian legend need not be concerned about Indian cricket.
Ponting, in turn, described Gambhir as "quite a prickly character."
'Gambhir, India's biggest concern': Paine
Paine felt Gambhir's barb was a sign that he may not be able to stay calm under pressure which would be India's "biggest concern" -- even more than the struggling form of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.
“I don’t love it. It’s not a good sign I think, because all he was asked was a very simple question. I think he’s maybe looking at Ricky still as someone he’s playing against," Paine said.
"But Ricky is a commentator now -- he’s paid to give an opinion, and his opinion was spot on. Virat has been sliding, it is a concern, absolutely,” he added.
“But for me now, the biggest concern for India right now isn’t Rohit Sharma’s batting, isn’t Virat Kohli’s batting, it’s their coach and his ability to stay calm under pressure,” he concluded.
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