Former Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) striker Nitish Rana has strongly defended Indian cricket coach Gautam Gambhir following Manoj Tiwary’s latest criticism following the national team’s disgraceful performance against Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25.
Former Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) batsman Gautam called Gambhir a “hypocrite” and slammed the coach for bringing India skipper Rohit Sharma to the fore to settle all issues. Tiwary further questioned Gambhir’s success at KKR and said his public relations game allowed him to take credit for the team’s achievements.
Performance needs no PR: Nitish Rana slams Manoj Tiwari
Reacting to the controversial statement, Nitish Rana, who played with Gambhir in Delhi and KKR in the Indian Premier League (IPL), dismissed the allegations by labeling them as Manoj Tiwari’s insecurity. Rana highlighted Gambhir’s positive impact and added that the legendary cricketer’s contributions to KKR’s victories go beyond the limelight.
Also Read: Virat Kohli’s ban comes from England after Sam Constas’ tainted episode.
Hitting Manoj Tiwari, Nitish Rana wrote on his X (formerly Twitter) page: “Criticism should be based on facts, not personal insecurities. Gauti bhaiyya is one of the most dedicated players I have ever met. He is responsible in difficult times like no one else. Performance does not require any PR. The trophies speak for themselves.”
Criticism should be based on facts, not personal insecurities. Gauti bhaiyya is one of the most dedicated players I have ever met. He is responsible in difficult times like no one else. Performance does not require any PR. The trophies speak for themselves.
— Nitish Rana (@NitishRana_27) January 9, 2025
Gautam Gambhir is a hypocrite: Manoj Tiwari
Manoj Tiwary has slammed both India’s bowling coach Morne Morkel and batting coach Abhishek Nayar, questioning their worth and accusing them of blindly agreeing with coach Gautam Gambhir. He went on to call Gambhir a “hypocrite”, claiming that the Indian coach did not practice what he preached.
News18 Bangla reports that Manoj Tiwari said, “What is the use of a bowling coach? Whatever the coach says, he agrees. Morne Morkel came from Lucknow Super Giants. Abhishek Nayar was at Kolkata Knight Riders with Gambhir and the Indian coach has a comfort zone with him. Gautam Gambhir is a hypocrite. It doesn’t do what it says. The captain is from Mumbai; Abhishek Nayar is from Mumbai. Rohit was brought to the fore by them to solve all the issues.”
Also Read: Virat Kohli-Rohit Sharma’s critics taken to the cleaners in latest blast
Manoj Tiwary says Gautam Gambhir did not single-handedly guide KKR to the IPL title
Additionally, Manoj Tiwary took note of the rumored tension between Gautam Gambhir and Rohit Sharma, questioning how they could work effectively together. Tiwari highlighted contrasting leadership experiences. Tiwary also said that Gambhir did not win the IPL titles alone as the entire team including players like Jacques Kallis, Sunil Narine and himself contributed to the success. Tiwary also mentioned that Gambhir has been responsible for most of KKR’s achievements.
Tiwari added: “How will they work together? Rohit is a World Cup winning captain. While Gambhir led KKR to IPL titles as both captain and mentor. Gambhir did not lead KKR to the title single-handedly because we all performed as a unit. Jacques Kallis, Sunil Narine and I have all contributed to this work. But who took the loan?”
Notably, since Gautam Gambhir replaced Rahul Dravid as the head coach of the Indian cricket team, India have lost 6 out of 10 Tests. Under Gambhir, India lost the ODI series to Sri Lanka. Gambhir’s next big challenge is ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
, shot down these claims by labeling them as Manoj Tiwary’s insecurities.){kind=link}