Controversy Erupts: Former England captain Criticizes India head coach ahead of Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25

New Delhi: The excitement is mounting as India and Australia prepare for the upcoming five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test series. Tensions are running high even before the players take to the field, with verbal sparring already underway. India's head coach Gautam Gambhir has found himself at odds with Australian legend Ricky Ponting over comments made about Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma's form. The war of words has escalated with former England captain Michael Vaughan also jumping into the fray, taking aim at Gambhir with cutting remarks. Fans are eagerly anticipating the thrilling clashes that lie ahead.

In the latest episode of the Club Prairie Fire podcast, former England captain Michael Vaughan shared his thoughts on Gautam Gambhir’s approach as India’s head coach. While Vaughan mentioned that he disagrees with Gambhir’s views, he expressed appreciation for Gambhir’s “prickly” nature, adding that he is keen to observe how Gambhir responds if India loses a game or two during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

“So I don’t quite agree with Gautam. But I do like a bit of spice and I like the fact that he is going to be very prickly. Over the course of the next few weeks I don’t think it’s going to be easy for his team. I don’t think they are going to win every game, they are going to lose games and it will be very interesting to see how he deals with that negative side of team performance.”

Ricky Ponting recently voiced concerns about Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s form in Test cricket ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Responding to this during a press conference, Gautam Gambhir fired back, stating that Ponting should focus on Australian cricket instead of commenting on the Indian team.

“What does Ponting have to do with Indian cricket? He should think about Australian cricket. I don’t have any concerns. They are incredibly tough men; they’ve achieved a lot for Indian cricket and are going to achieve a lot in the future as well,” Gautam Gambhir remarked when asked about Ponting’s comments on Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s form.