Gautam Gambhir breaks silence on constantly benching Arshdeep Singh and Kuldeep Yadav amid criticism: ‘Toughest job’

Arshdeep played just two games in the Asia Cup this year, and he didn't even start the T20I series against Australia. Similarly, Kuldeep was dropped from the playing XI for the third T20I Down Under and was then sent back home to prepare for the upcoming Test series against South Africa.

Gambhir opened up on taking the hard call of leaving out players like Arshdeep and Kuldeep. However, he stated that both players understand the situation as the support staff have had transparent and honest conversations with them.

“That's probably the toughest part of me as a coach. I think that's the toughest job I have, that sometimes when I know that there is so much of quality sitting on the bench and I know everyone deserves to be part of the playing XI, but ultimately you can only pick XI thinking that which is the best combination to do the job on that particular day,” Gambhir said in an interview with BCCI.TV.

Also Read: Gautam Gambhir refuses to mention Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli; brushes aside 'individual milestones'

“But for me, the most important thing is the conversation and the communication as well. So the communication needs to be very clear, very honest; sometimes, obviously, those are hard conversations to have. If you tell someone that he's not playing, this is probably the toughest conversation for a coach and a player as well, because I know that the player would get upset when he deserves to be part of the playing XI,” he added.

‘Players do understand’

Gambhir also stated that his focus remains on having a healthy dressing room, and for this to happen, heart-to-heart conversations need to occur whenever a player is being left out, especially when they deserve to be part of the lineup.

“If you're honest, if you're straightforward, if you know that what you're saying is saying it from the heart and there is nothing beyond that, so I feel that our players do understand that. And it's a communication between a player and a coach, and I think it should stay till then rather than people making a lot of hue and cry and different theories about it,” said Gambhir.

“That is something which I think this group and the support staff have done brilliantly because I think it has been a very transparent dressing room, it has been a very honest dressing room, and that is something how we want this dressing room to be like, he added.

Click here to read article