'Gambhir has no work': Kris Srikkanth slams India coach over handling of Devdutt Padikkal in Indian team originally appeared on Cricket News. Add Cricket News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:- Kris Srikkanth has criticised Gautam Gambhir over talk of replacing Devdutt Padikkal.
- Padikkal scored 167 in the first Test against Sri Lanka at Galle.
- Srikkanth also expects Kuldeep Yadav to be dropped for the second Test.
Devdutt Padikkal answered every question asked of him in Galle, and Kris Srikkanth cannot understand why any further questions are being asked at all. The former India captain has aimed Gautam Gambhir over suggestions that the left-hander's place remains up for discussion.
Padikkal came into the side at number three after Sai Sudharsan was ruled out of the series with a toe injury and responded with a maiden Test century. He made 167 in India's first-innings total of 462, following it with 44 in the second innings for a match aggregate of 211.
India went on to win the opening Test by 165 runs to take a 1-0 lead, with Padikkal's runs providing the platform. That, in Srikkanth's view, should have ended any debate about the number three position for the remainder of the series.
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Why Kris Srikkanth criticised Gautam Gambhir over Devdutt PadikkalSrikkanth was blunt in his assessment, questioning both the logic of the discussion and the coach's tendency to keep selection matters open. "Gambhir has no work. How can you replace Padikkal going forward with the 200-plus runs he has scored in the first Test?" Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel.
"Gambhir just says something, and anyway he has no work in the Sri Lankan series because Sri Lanka is a bad side and India will surely win. He'll jump after winning against sides like Sri Lanka and Afghanistan." He was careful to separate the criticism from any broader judgement on Gambhir's cricketing credentials, while still calling for greater clarity in how the coach communicates.
"I am not trying to be harsh on Gambhir. He was a good player and is a good reader of the game. But he can be a bit more communicative. He was very effective as a player, though," Srikkanth added. The former opener also suggested Sudharsan now faces a difficult route back into the side once fit, given the volume of runs Padikkal has scored in his absence.
On the bowling front, Srikkanth expects a change for the Colombo Test, predicting Kuldeep Yadav will make way for off-spinner Saransh Jain. "I am not sure Kuldeep Yadav will play the second Test. He will be dropped, and Saransh Jain will play. He should come back to the ODI side. He is still one of the best fielders and left-arm spinners in the world. Even as an all-rounder, he's among the best in the world," Srikkanth said.
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Why Srikkanth's frustration reflects a wider patternThe criticism lands because it touches on something familiar in Indian cricket, where players who deliver are rarely handed the security their performances warrant. Padikkal has been in and out of the Test side despite a heavy first-class record, and 211 runs in a match India won by 165 ought to guarantee more than a temporary reprieve.
Where Srikkanth overstates his case is in dismissing the Sri Lanka series as a formality. India arrived having lost consecutive home series and without Jasprit Bumrah, and the manner of the Galle win, built around Padikkal's runs and Manav Suthar's 10 wickets, was anything but routine.
The more useful point buried in his remarks is the one about communication, because a coach who publicly leaves settled positions open invites exactly the sort of speculation Srikkanth is objecting to.
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