Permanent public feud between former Pakistan captains shahid afridi and head coach of India Gautam Gambhir This has flared up again as Afridi has put pressure on India’s selection strategy for its two most important white-ball players.
Expressing strong objection to any attempt by the Indian team management to phase out senior players, Afridi offered unequivocal support for it. Virat Kohli And Rohit SharmaBacking him to carry his career forward well in the 2027 ODI World Cup cycle.
In addition to offering batting advice, Afridi directly criticized Gambhir’s personality and coaching approach, suggesting that his stubborn confidence in his own decision-making has been fundamentally challenged by the Indian team’s recent struggles and underwhelming performances in the difficult and demanding arena of Test cricket, thus highlighting the disparity between expectation and result in the longest format.
Pakistan cricket icon Shahid Afridi takes a dig at Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir
Afridi sharply criticized Gambhir’s personal conduct and subsequent results, arguing that the coach’s strong-willed approach has not translated into success where it matters most: Test match cricket. Despite achieving notable success in white-ball tournaments like the Champions Trophy, Gambhir’s tenure has been marred by a highly questionable record in the longest format, giving Afridi ammunition for his comments.
talking to Telecom Asia Sport, Taking aim at the coach’s confidence, Afridi said,The way Gautam started his tenure, it seemed like he thought that what he thinks and says is right, but after some time it was proved that you are not always right.
The official record reflects the severity of India’s Test struggles under his leadership, having lost ten and won only seven of the nineteen Test matches played so far. This poor performance includes an unprecedented 0-3 whitewash at home against New Zealand and the recent 0-2 defeat at home to South Africa, part of a rare history of home defeats for India. Furthermore, the team lost 1–3 to give away the Border-Gavaskar Trophy to Australia, while their only Test series wins came against lower-ranked teams like Bangladesh and West Indies, especially on home soil.
Afridi backs legends Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma for ODI World Cup 2027
Afridi stressed that the Indian team management should recognize the fundamental importance of Kohli and Rohit and ensure their continuity during the next major ODI tournament. The charismatic former all-rounder stressed that any attempt to exclude the batting stalwarts from India’s 50-over plans would be counterproductive, especially considering their recent high-level outputs. Afridi was firm on his conviction regarding their inevitability, stating candidly: “It is true that Virat and Rohit are the backbone of the Indian batting line-up and the way they have played in the recent ODI series, it can be said with confidence that they can play till the 2027 World Cup.
He advised that team management should approach their rest periods strategically, suggesting that the rotation should be restricted to matches against weaker opposition in order to maintain peak form: “You need to protect these two stars. When India are playing against a weak team, they can try some new players and rest Virat and Rohit.” In a separate comment, Afridi graciously acknowledged Rohit’s recent record-breaking achievement of surpassing his long-held record of most sixes in ODI history, commenting: “Records are meant to be broken and it has become even better now. I am happy that the player I always liked has broken this record.
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