‘Some people individually have agendas,’ India coach defends Gautam Gambhir:Fumes over brutal criticism campaign against head coach after Kolkata Test loss

India’s batting coach, Sitanshu Kotak, has been fuming over all the criticism directed toward Gautam Gambhir. The Indian head coach has been at the receiving end of the backlash after the Men in Blue lost the first Test against South Africa at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Kotak, who serves as batting coach under Gambhir, claimed that the some of the critics are people with vested interests running an agenda-driven campaign. Notably, Gambhir had defended the Kolkata pitch curator, claiming that he was the one who made requests for the Eden Gardens pitch. Resultingly, the hosts suffered fourth Test loss at home in the last one year. ‘Some people individually have agendas’: Sitanshu Kotak Ahead of the second Test in Guwahati, Gautam Gambhir said to the media on Thursday, “Gautam Gambhir, Gautam Gambhir (criticism) is being done. I am saying this because I am a staff member and I feel bad. That’s not the way.” The former Saurashtra batter further added: Maybe some people individually have agendas. Good luck to them, but it is very bad. In the opening Test in Kolkata, India lost despite chasing down the modest target of 124. Even on the turning surface that got battered earlier than expected, it was exactly the pitch that Gautam Gambhir asked for. Yet the Indian batters were not able to make an impact. Also, India head coach’s contrast to skipper Shubman Gill’s assertion a few weeks ago that his team was looking towards playing on more sporting surfaces at home. Also Read| ‘Atmosphere of insecurity in Indian dressing room’:Mohammed Kaif bluntly criticised Team India head coach; says – ‘Gautam Gambhir lacks confidence in batters’ Sitanshu Kotak questions why there is no backlash on Indian batters What surprised Kotak was that people were not questioning anyone other than Gambhir. While referring to the humbling loss due to the batting lineup’s failure, he said, “No one is saying that this batsman did this, this bowler did that, or we can do something different in batting.” Meanwhile, the India batting coach lauded Gambhir for taking accountability and blamed the batters’ technique and approach for the embarrassing loss. Batting head coach blames approach and technique failure for Kolkata Test loss Kotak feels a shift in mindset and technique has happened in the last 15 years, with more T20Is being played. The fundamental difference in playing spin in Tests and T20Is is that for the traditional format, you need strong footwork, and for T20Is, one needs solid hands. “Now, we have a lot of players in the world, who adapt all three formats well. But the technique of playing all three formats is different. “In a Test match, you rely a lot on footwork. In T20Is, and in power hitting, you focus a lot on creating an early base. So, there will be no footwork in creating an early base.” Although Sitanshu Kotak did defend Gautam Gambhir with his arguments, it can’t be ignored that India’s Test playing 11 did not include players who could tackle spin. Meanwhile some rash decisions while chasing 124 also added to Men in Blue’s humbling defeat at Eden Gardens.