Gambhir says no rift in Indian team on Australia tour

Gambhir dismissed reports of the rift as ‘baseless’ but was candid enough to admit that there were differences in opinion.

Mail Today – Sun 13 May, 2012 3:20 PM IST




By Mail Today Bureau


New Delhi: Gautam Gambhir has broken his silence on the reported rift in the Indian team during the tri-series in Australia a couple of months ago.

Gambhir dismissed reports of the rift as ‘baseless’ but was candid enough to admit that there were differences in opinion.

“There was no rift. It was all media-created. And when the team is not doing well, it’s easy to say there are two camps. Ultimately, when there are 15 for 16 players in a dressing room, everyone thinks differently and there can be differences of opinion, but there is only one goal and that is to help India win and do the nation proud,” Gambhir said on the Seedhi Baat programme on AAJ TAK .

Gambhir’s statement questioning skipper MS Dhoni for the delayed chase in an ODI may have been seen as a public jibe, but Gambhir said: “I would never attack any one individual, all I said is that as world champions it is important for us to dominate in wins. And for that, you would look to chase totals of 230-240 convincingly.”

BCCI may ask Fletcher for report on India's overseas debacle

Gambhir's failure to deliver with the bat in Australia cost him the vice-captaincy at the following Asia Cup, losing out to his junior Virat Kohli. But Gambhir insisted he was not disappointed by the selectors’ decision.

“Vice-captaincy is just a designation, it is just a job. It doesn’t matter whether you are captain or vice-captain, what matters is that you need to perform. You don’t play the game for captaincy or vice-captaincy and if you can help your team win with your performance, that is what gives you the ultimate high.”

The left-handed batsman, who is leading the charge for Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL-5, rather surprisingly expressed delight at team owner Shah Rukh Khan’s low profile this season. Gambhir said: “Sometimes he used to get over- excited, but this time around, luckily he has been pretty low-profile, which is good for the team. ”


Reproduced From Mail Today. Copyright 2012. MTNPL. All rights reserved.



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