India stunned Australia in the recently-concluded four-match Test series in their own backyard despite not having some of their key players, like Virat Kohli, Mohammed Shami, Rohit Sharma (for the first two Tests), and R Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, and Ravindra Jadeja missing the final Test in Brisbane.
From a humiliating 8-wicket loss in the series opener, Ajinkya Rahane & Co. bounced back in style with youngsters like Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, Washington Sundar, Mohammed Siraj, and Shardul Thakur rising up the ranks as India returned with a 2-1 scoreline.
After their second successive Test series loss to India at home, reports in Australian media suggested that players aren’t happy with coach Justin Langer. To this, former Indian opener Sunil Gavaskar has lashed out at Tim Paine-led Australia and stated that they are portraying themselves as brats by shifting the blame towards their coach.
Earlier, a report in Sydney Morning herald had stated, “Dressing-room sources say that over a gruelling summer, Langer’s management style wore thin with some players, who on top of having to live in a bubble for months on end say they have become drained by his intensity and mood swings.”
Hence, Gavaskar wrote for his column in Mid-day, “The leaks to the media about Langer actually reflects badly on the Australian team as it portrays them as brats who can’t accept they were outplayed and so need to shift the blame elsewhere.”
The former Indian opener further opined, “Stories planted in the media by the players or their agents or managers are making out that it was Langer’s intensity and passion that had the players under pressure and so affected their game. This is utter rubbish as once the players are out on the field, the coach can do nothing and the players themselves have to find the answers to the questions asked by the opposition.”
