Former cricketer Atul Wassan made a controversial claim about Gautam Gambhir’s tenure as India’s head coach, alleging that some players were unhappy with his aggressive personality. Wassan, who is also a former Delhi selector, has been a vocal critic of Gambhir’s personality and didn’t hold back this time while speaking on a YouTube show.
In the past, Gambhir was involved in a controversy with Wassan after he was removed from the Delhi captaincy. Wassan was serving as Delhi selector then. Gambhir accused the selectors of not informing him about his captaincy removal.
Speaking on Vickey Lalwani’s YouTube show, Wassan was asked about Gambhir, and he revealed that he has known the current India head coach since his childhood and accused him of being a bully. Wassan also stated that Gambhir’s ego is on a different level, and his aggressive personality also led to his clash with Virat Kohli.
“I have known him personally since he was a child. I have had my issues with him. With him, it’s about my way or the highway. He is like that, and he would bully a lot, even in Delhi cricket. His nature is only like that. From the start, he was from money, that nature only, an excellent player, and he is intelligent. His ego is on a different level. He thinks that if he says it’s night when it’s morning, it will be believed to be night. Fall in line. If you don’t fall in line, you are on my hit list. He will try to harm you, but he has achieved a lot in cricket, and his nature helped him in cricket,” he said.
“The player he became is because of his nature. He couldn’t give his best unless he fights. He probably goes and fights with the glass in his home. He likes putting him in the mood. But he doesn’t retire; he needs to get off this horse. He thinks this still drives him. That’s why he is confronting Kohli: over-aggressiveness and an alpha-male kind of personality from Delhi. He has lost and has also won also.
“His report card has blemishes. The home series, which we lost, 2-3.”
‘All players cannot be in a happy place’
Then came the bombshell: Wassan alleged that some players in the Team India setup are unhappy with Gambhir’s management.
“I am sure that all the players cannot be in a happy place. Somebody will be sleeping on needles; this happens. Personal likes and dislikes, and that too with such a strong personality. With personal likes and dislikes, and leading them with a stick, if you keep on winning, then it’s fine. But if you lose, then you need to listen to criticism,” he said.
On being pressed to name the players who aren’t happy with the former KKR player, he said, “I know 1-2 of them; they won’t say it openly. I can’t say their names in this show. Everyone knows whats happening. But after sidelining those 2-4 players, if you win, then it’s your world. It’s a team sport; nobody will listen to the player. If the coach wins even after all this, then the coach is right, and the player is wrong.”
