'Gambhir will know it's hollow victory...': South Africa media's vicious attack on head coach's 'cringeworthy arrogance'
Gautam Gambhir was criticised for attacking Nasser Hussain and Mike Atherton after the former India opener's 'they've got to grow up' remark in the presser.
India head coach Gautam Gambhir's sharp retort at insinuations that his team has been handed an "undeniable advantage" of playing all their Champions Trophy matches in Dubai, has been labelled as "cringeworthy arrogance" in a brutal assessment by a South African media report.
Due to geopolitical reasons, India did not travel to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy, forcing the ICC to schedule all their games in Dubai, which will now even include the final. On the contrary, all other teams had to travel within Pakistan, few even to Dubai, for their matches. The chaos over the scheduling received further criticism after two teams - South Africa and Australia - had to travel to Dubai for a potential semifinal against India, only for the former to return to Pakistan in less than 12 hours. Critics reckoned India had been handed an advantage on two fronts—the lack of hassle of travelling and the chance to familiarise themselves with the conditions.
Despite not being directly asked about it in the press conference on Tuesday, Gambhir launched a scathing attack, calling the critics "perpetual cribbers. "What undue advantage? We haven't practised here even for a day. We're practising at the ICC Academy, and the conditions there and here are 180 degrees different. If you look at the wickets there and here, the difference is between the ground and the sky," he said.
South African media calls out Gambhir's 'arrogance'
In an article published on the South African media website iol.co.za, Gambhir was reminded that the distance between ICC Academy and Dubai International Stadium is "only a few hundred metres" before adding that "his arrogance throughout this whole situation is cringe-worthy."
Gambhir was also criticised for his attack on Nasser Hussain and Mike Atherton, who were among the first to highlight India's advantage in Dubai after the former India opener's 'they've got to grow up' remark in the presser.
"Well, that's some statement, especially when it's blatantly obvious that residing in one location and playing at a single stadium while other teams have to travel around and experience different conditions is an advantage," it added.
As India gear up for the final against New Zealand on Sunday in Dubai, where the team will be the overwhelming favourite having scripted an unbeaten run thus far, Gambhir was handed a reminder that even if India go on to lift the ICC trophy, it will be a "hollow victory."
It read: "There's every likelihood that India will go on to win their second successive major ICC trophy in less than a year on Sunday when they face New Zealand, who beat South Africa in Wednesday's semifinal. But when Gambhir raises the trophy towards the Dubai night skyline in celebration, being the fierce competitor that he is, he will know deep within himself that there will be a hollowness to it for the manner it was achieved regardless of all the outlandish comments he is currently making. And that's something he will have to live with every time he looks at that winners' medal in his living room for the rest of his days.
A separate article on Business Day, headlined "Shocking India favouritism," lashed out at ICC for favouring India in Chammpions Trophy. It read: "ICC bent over backwards to keep the team in the Champions Trophy by allowing it to play all its games in Dubai."
