Former Indian skipper, Sourav Ganguly has backed India head coach Gautam Gambhir following his harsh words for Ricky Ponting during a press conference ahead of the Border Gavaskar Trophy.

Gambhir suggested that Ponting should focus on Australian cricket rather than talking about India stars Virat Kohli’s form before the Australia tour.

“What does Ponting have to do with Indian cricket? He should think about Australian cricket. We have no concerns about Kohli, Rohit. They have achieved a lot for Indian cricket and will do in the future as well,” Gambhir had said.

In reply, Ponting called the head coach ‘a prickly character’ justifying that he had backed Kohli to perform in the upcoming Test series.

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Why did Sourav Ganguly defend Gautam Gambhir’s comments on Ricky Ponting?

Talking to RevSportz, the former Indian skipper Ganguly came out in the defence of India’s head coach and said that the people have to accept Gambhir for the way he is, which has brought him success in the past.

He compared Gambhir’s personality with that of former Australian greats like Ricky Ponting, Matthew Hayden and Steve Waugh among others, who used to sledge and give a hard time for the visiting team.

“All I will say is let him be. I saw some criticism of what he said in the press conference. It is the way he is. Let him be. When he won the IPL, he was the same. You were going gaga over him. Just because he has lost three Test matches and a one-day series against Sri Lanka, the straight talk has not been looked at nicely. But that is the way he is,” said Ganguly.

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“And why not? Australians, from the time I have watched cricket, have been tough for you. They have played their cricket that way, whether it was Waugh, Ponting or Hayden.”

“So, there is nothing wrong with what Gambhir has said. That is the way he is, and he fights. He competes, so let us give him a chance. It has just been two or three months, and you are passing judgment on him,” he added.

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Interestingly, Ricky Ponting in his comments had also backed the Indian veterans to turn the tide around in Australia for the experience and character they have shown over the years. In response to Gambhir, he had also defended his stance in a chat with ICC.

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