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Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar recently stirred up a debate on social media with his critical remarks about the coach of the Indian cricket team, targeting the recent appointment of Gautam Gambhir. Gambhir’s appointment has been a hot topic among cricket enthusiasts, with many former cricketers weighing in on the issue in various interviews.
Sanjay Manjrekar takes a dig at Gautam Gambhir’s coaching appointment
Manjrekar’s comments were particularly provocative. He urged fans and critics to “take it easy” and suggested that the success of the Indian cricket team should not be solely attributed to the coaches. “Winning is not just about the coach; it is about the entire Indian cricket team,” Manjrekar emphasized.
Manjrekar stated that all four times that India has won the World Cup, in 2 of them, we did not have a specialized coach, but we still won. “India has won the World Cup four times and in two of those instances, the team did not have specialized coaches.”
He wanted to emphasize that the focus should be on the performance of the entire Indian cricket team, not just the coaches.
“No coach Lalchand Rajput Gary Kirsten and Dravid coaches when India won WCs in 1983,2007,201 & 2023. It’s really about Indian cricket, not who the coach is. Time we stop thinking there is a direct correlation.“, Manjrekar captioned on X.
No coach, Lalchand Rajput, Gary Kirsten & Dravid. Coaches when India won WCs in 1983, 2007, 2011 & 2023.
It’s really about Indian cricket, not who the coach is. Time we stop thinking there is a direct correlation.— Sanjay Manjrekar (@sanjaymanjrekar) July 27, 2024
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Manjrekar on previous World Cup coaches
In his tweet, Manjrekar highlighted the history of India’s World Cup victories to support his argument. He pointed out that India’s triumphs have not always been linked to having specialized coaches. He noted that when India won the ODI World Cup in 1983, there was no official coach for the team. Similarly, during the 2007 T20 World Cup win under MS Dhoni‘s captaincy, Lalchand Rajput served as the team director rather than a traditional coach.
Manjrekar continued by mentioning the 2011 ODI World Cup, where India, again under Dhoni’s leadership, claimed victory with Gary Kirsten as the head coach. Most recently, in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, India won under Rohit Sharma’s captaincy, with Rahul Dravid as the head coach.
“India has won the World Cup four times, and in two of those instances, the team did not have specialized coaches.” ,Manjrekar stated. He wanted to underline the point that the focus should be on the performance of the entire Indian cricket team, not just the coaches.
