NEW DELHI: Under fire after back-to-back defeats in the home series against England, Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni is unhappy with Gautam Gambhir’s attitude and on-field ethics and has lodged a complaint with the BCCI against the left-hander, a media report claimed on Wednesday.
Dhoni feels that Gambhir puts his interest above the team and has become too self-centred.
The Indian captain has gone to the extent of lodging a complaint to the BCCI tagging the opener’s approach as “selfish” and “hurtful to the team”, a cricket website reported while quoting an Indian player who pleaded anonymity.
“What irked Dhoni was Gambhir playing for himself and not for the team. It was evident in the way Gambhir batted in the second innings of the Mumbai Test that he was more interested in carrying his bat by remaining not out, rather than shielding the tailenders and scoring quick runs.
“...Every run was crucial but Gambhir chose to be a mute spectator. The whole world saw that and everyone was taken aback. The effort to contribute to the team wasn’t there.”
Gambhir’s act was in further spotlight after number nine player Ravinder Ashwin batted with maturity during his unbeaten 91 in the Kolkata Test and shepherded the tailenders superbly.
However, another source close to Gambhir asserted that though the opener hasn’t performed to the potential in this series, Dhoni was playing gimmicks to undermine his performance.
“Dhoni’s captaincy is under fire. He’s being censured by one and all. His place in the Test team is questioned; his defensive and unimaginative mindset as a captain is unmasked, so he’s trying to pass the buck and blame others — whether his batsmen, spinners, Sehwag and now Gambhir — to save his face,” the website said, quoting the source.
“He (Dhoni) sees Gambhir as a potential threat to his captaincy and wants to undermine him. Mohinder Amarnath has tipped Gambhir to take over the captaincy from Dhoni and proclaimed that Dhoni uses his clout in the BCCI to push his agenda. He thinks that he can dictate terms in every matter,” the report added.—Agencies
