Former India batsman Sanjay Manjrekar has said that Gautam Gambhir "neither has the right demeanour nor the words" to take questions from the media and address press conferences, which is why the BCCI should only let captain Rohit Sharma and chief selector Ajit Agarkar address the press. Manjrekar's comments came after Gambhir's press conference ahead of India's high-profile upcoming tour of Australia. While Gambhir clarified who the options are to lead India and open the batting in the potential absence of Rohit in the first Test in Perth, he also stood up to the critics of him and his players in his typical confrontational fashion. Manjrekar was not impressed. "Just watched Gambhir in the press conference. May be wise for @BCCI to keep him away from such duties, let him work behind the scenes. He does not have the right demeanour nor the words when interacting with them. Rohit & Agarkar, much better guys to front up for the media," he wrote on X. Just watched Gambhir in the press conference. May be wise for @BCCI to keep him away from such duties, let him work behind the scenes. He does not have the right demeanour nor the words when interacting with them. Rohit & Agarkar, much better guys to front up for the media.— Sanjay Manjrekar (@sanjaymanjrekar) November 11, 2024 Gambhir has come under scrutiny after overseeing India's first-ever series whitewash of three or more matches at home, in just his second red-ball series as the team's coach. It was India's first series defeat at home since 2012, ending an unbeaten run of 18 series. The poor tactics, and underperformance of the team's ageing batting greats - Rohit and Virat Kohli - have found major criticism this week, including from former Australia captain Ricky Ponting, after the 0-3 shellacking. The India coach hit back."What does Ricky Ponting have to do with Indian cricket?” Gambhir told reporters in Mumbai on Monday. “He should be talking about Australia. Look, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are still passionate about the game and want to achieve more. They are hungry for success and have done exceptionally well for the country over the years. “Even the other players are doing a fine job, and I am sure we will improve as a group. I have no concerns regarding Virat and Rohit,” Gambhir said.
