Former Indian cricketer-turned-commentator Sanjay Manjrekar criticised Gautam Gambhir for his conduct in the press conference before boarding the flight to Australia for Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. Manjrekar took to his social media and urged the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to stop Gambhir from doing press conferences. He wants either captain Rohit Sharma or chief selector Ajit Agarkar to address the media.
"Just watched Gambhir in the press conference. May be wise for @BCCI to keep him away from such duties, let him work behind the scenes. He does not have the right demeanour nor the words when interacting with them. Rohit & Agarkar, much better guys to front up for the media," Manjrekar wrote on X.
Gambhir hits out at Ponting for Kohli criticism
In the press conference on November 11, Gambhir said that he is not under pressure despite the series whitewash at the hands of New Zealand in home conditions. The former Indian opener also lashed out at former Australia captain Ricky Ponting for Virat Kohli's performance in last five years in red-ball cricket.
"What does Ponting has to do with Indian cricket? I think he should think about Australian cricket and more importantly have got no concerns whatsoever for Virat and Rohit. I think they are incredibly tough men. They've achieved a lot for Indian cricket and they will continue to achieve a lot in future as well," Gambhir said in the press conference.
"I think for me, the most important thing is that they still work really hard and they still passionate, they still want to achieve a lot more and that is something which is very important. The hunger in that dressing room is incredibly important for me. And for the entire group of people as well in that dressing in dressing rooms. And I feel there is a lot of hunger and especially after what has happened in the last series," he added.
When Manjrekar criticised Jadeja
The last time Manjrekar targetted an Indian cricketer via a tweet was Ravindra Jadeja calling him a "bits and pieces" player. The all-rounder lashed out at him on social media and then delivered performances in the ODI World Cup 2019 on England soil.