Former Indian batter Mohammad Kaif has opened up on Gautam Gambhir’s comments after India suffered a 2-1 ODI series loss against Australia. After losing the first two matches against the hosts, the visitors won the third ODI comprehensively by nine wickets.
India’s veteran duo of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, starred for the tourists, scoring 121 and 74 runs respectively in the run-chase of 237. However, on November 10, head coach Gautam Gambhir said we should never celebrate a series loss and the team’s success is of paramount importance to him than individual success.
Gambhir said in a video released by BCCI, “I’ve always been a believer that it is not about the individual performances. Yes, I can be happy with the individual performances, and I will always remain happy with individual performances, but ultimately, we lost the ODI series. That is the bottom line. I can never celebrate a series loss as a coach. As a player, I can appreciate individuals, but as a coach, it is my moral responsibility that we as a nation, and we as individuals, should never celebrate a series loss.”
Kaif was asked if Gambhir was taking a dig at Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, but the former batter said India were able to avoid the whitewash after a much-needed win in the final game.
Mohammad Kaif said on his YouTube Channel, “There should be respect for a score of 100, right? Respect for a century and for match-winning knocks should always be there. Even if Gautam didn’t celebrate, people still did. Virat Kohli remained unbeaten, Rohit Sharma scored a century, and they avoided a whitewash. Yes, they lost the series, but at least they were not whitewashed.”
“You see, in India, the reaction and treatment after a whitewash would have been very different. By winning that ODI, they saved their pride. Ending with a win and avoiding a whitewash gave them momentum heading into the next T20 series. So just saying that they lost the series doesn’t tell the full story, because they finished on a winning note. Avoiding a whitewash made a big difference. Going into the T20s after a win is completely different from entering under the pressure of a whitewash,” he added.
Rohit and Virat will be next seen in action in the three-match ODI series against South Africa.
