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Cricket, not WWF! |
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By: Anand I Naik |
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Date:
2008-11-01 |
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Place: NEW DELHI |
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Point noted! Gautam Gambhir's coach Sanjay Bhardwaj at his academy in Ashok Vihar, Delhi yesterday. pic/suresh kk |
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Pakistan's Shahid Afridi and India's Gautam Gambhir were engaged in a verbal duel during the third ODI between the two teams at Green Park in Kanpur on November 11, 2007. pic/suresh kk | Sanjay Bhardwaj clearly remembers the time when he would take Gautam Gambhir for practice sessions on his scooter more than 15 years ago.
Since Gambhir came to his nets for the first time, Bhardwaj has been his only coach, the one he turned to every time he needed advice. And he still can't believe that Gambhir could have elbowed Shane Watson in the stomach while going for the second run on Thursday. Yesterday, match referee Chris Broad handed him a one-Test ban. Gambhir will appeal the ban and in all likelihood will play the final Test in Nagpur.
"What he did was totally wrong. He should not have done that," Bhardwaj told MiD DAY yesterday.
"If the opposition is trying to unsettle you, give it back to them verbally. But getting physical is not the right way to go about it. If all start behaving this way, cricket will turn into WWF. If you do something wrong, you will be punished.
"The good thing, however, is that Gambhir has realised his mistake. He knows he should not have behaved this way and I am certain that he will not do it again," the coach added.
Afridi altercation
This is not the first time that Gambhir has reacted this way. Last November, he also had an altercation with Shahid Afridi. However, Bhardwaj said Gambhir is not really the one to pick up a fight.
"He is usually very calm and doesn't like to get involved in things. But what can he do if someone provokes him? Michael Clarke, Simon Katich and Shane Watson have repeatedly said things to unsettle him. At some point he was going to react. This is not to defend him but if Australians are playing games then even our players need to do it," Bhardwaj added.
The ban could not have come at a worse time for Gambhir, who is in the form of his life. Having done exceptionally well in ODIs and T20 over the last year, a hundred in Mohali was followed by the double at the Feroz Shah Kotla on Thursday.
After making his international debut in 2003, Gambhir had always struggled to come to grips with top-flight cricket. Last year, things changed and Gambhir was increasingly being looked upon as a reliable opening batsman. And Bhardwaj had a lot to do with that too.
"There were a few technical problems in his batting that we sorted out. We started thinking and devised a few
innovative methods like tying his foot to a rope that extended from his neck. He worked really hard at ironing out his flaws and that has done the trick," Bhardwaj said.
Good comeback
"It's great to see that he has now learnt to convert starts into big scores. This change has come about because ever since he made his comeback, he has been getting a lot of runs in T20 and one-dayers and that has given him a lot of confidence. There is no self doubt anymore. Now he knows he can score runs in any form of the game," Bhardwaj said, adding that Gambhir's attitude has also helped him a lot.
"He never gives up. Every time he was dropped, he would assure me that he will score heavily in domestic cricket and regain his place. Also, he is always looking to learn.
"Even after he was unbeaten on 149 on Day One, he called me to ask about his batting and whether his bat was coming down properly," the coach said. |
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