Published: Mar 07, 2017, 01:01 PM (IST)
Edited: Mar 07, 2017, 01:01 PM (IST)
India’s hero in the final of 2007 World T20 and 2011 World Cup, Gautam Gambhir, is back in news with another controversy. Gambhir, who is currently busy with Delhi team in Vijay Hazare Trophy 2016-17, was reportedly involved in a verbal spat with team coach KP Bhaskar. According to The Hindu, at KIIT Stadium in Bhubaneshwar, former Delhi skipper humiliated Bhaskar with a bitter choice of words in the dressing room after the end of Delhi’s match against Uttar Pradesh on Monday. This incident left the entire Delhi side surprised. Bhaskar, former Delhi captain, is coaching the side for the first time.
Be it on or off the field, Bhaskar is known for his generous and friendly behavior. However, there were reports that Gambhir was being disrespectful to his coach, as he used threatening language. “The unfortunate incident here obviously marks a new low in Delhi cricket and demands a disciplinary inquiry from the DDCA and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) as well. Is Gambhir not supposed to be a role model being a World Cup winner?” questioned a former Delhi player.
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However, this is only one side of the story. The reason behind this spat is still unknown, and we are yet to have a word from Gambhir. All the same, this is not the first time Gambhir was involved in such incidents. Last year, Gambhir had a spat with star Bengal player Manoj Tiwari. Moreover, Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) appointed Ajay Jadeja as interim coach in place of Vijay Dahiya, to which Gambhir had expressed his disappointments. Besides, Jadeja quit, followed by senior players such as Mithun Manhas and Rajat Bhatia moving to other states.
It is also reported that Gambhir had spats with players such as Chetan Chauhan, Hari Gidwani and Venkat Sundaram in the past. Going by the report, it is also said that Gambhir mocked Bhaskar’s credentials, who has played 95 First-Class matches with 5,443 runs to his name. In addition, Gambhir criticised to Bhaskar’s son Ruushil Bhaskar, who played junior cricket for Delhi and Haryana.
Gambhir is known for aggressive and fighting nature, and played a crucial role in Delhi’s Ranji Trophy win in 2008. Since then, Delhi has not made to final. “Normally we all shake hands at the end of the last match of the season. This is unprecedented, the senior most player abusing the senior most person in the dressing room,” said a Delhi veteran.
