The ongoing feud between India head coach Gautam Gambhir and former Australia skipper Ricky Ponting has taken a new turn, with ex-cricketer Brad Haddin revealing the backstory behind the war of words.
The conflict began when Gambhir responded to Ponting’s comments on Virat Kohli’s form, urging him to focus on Australian cricket. Ponting retorted by calling Gambhir a “prickly character.”
Haddin, who played under Ponting at Delhi Capitals in 2018, hinted at a deeper reason for the animosity. “Gambhir is a character that would use this as an us versus them mentality,” he said. “His reaction was prickly, and you don’t need your coach to get caught up in that sort of scenario unless his tactic is to build an us versus them.”
Haddin teased a forthcoming revelation about the backstory between Gambhir and Ponting. “I know what the backstory is. I’ll tell you; just wait till later of the week. There was a little elbow, suspensions, and fines,” he said.
Haddin compared Gambhir’s approach to that of Australian rugby coach Wayne Bennett, who often takes the spotlight to deflect pressure from his team. “It’s out of the Wayne Bennett style of coaching,” he said. “We’re not talking about Rohit Sharma or Kohli now. We’re talking about Gambhir and Ricky. He has bitten back, taken the pressure away from his team.”
While acknowledging Gambhir’s “prickly” nature, Haddin questioned whether he was intentionally creating a distraction for his team, which is under pressure after losing the series to New Zealand. “Is he doing this now to take it away from his teammates?” he asked. “If it’s an emotional reaction, then there’s a problem. But if he’s doing it to deflect things away and take it [attention] away from his team, that’s a different thing.”
