Former South African captain AB de Villiers has shared his views on the Indian T20I side having a new set of coaching staff for the recently concluded three-match series against Zimbabwe, which India won 3-0 in Harare.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, AB has said that interim head coach VVS Laxman put a bit of pressure on Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir after India’s 3-0 clean sweep over Zimbabwe.
While Laxman was appointed interim head coach, Hrishikesh Kanitkar and Sunil Joshi were roped in as the batting and bowling coaches, respectively. On the other hand, Kamakhya Saikia was appointed as the team manager.
“Sometimes you think taking a break is the right thing to do, you rest, recharge and manage yourself, but then you suddenly realise that the players are really enjoying someone else’s presence. I don’t know whether there’s anything more to it, but perhaps VVS Laxman is putting a bit of pressure on Gautam Gambhir and forcing him to respond. Time will tell,” AB de Villiers said on his YouTube channel.
Moreover, AB de Villiers has also reacted to the “Clicky Ponting” incident in English club cricket, stating that there was no place for cheating in the game. For the unversed, a viral video was doing rounds on the internet, showing a Saltburn second XI fielder clicking his fingers to mimic a batter’s nick.
“If it really was deliberate deception, then I absolutely hate seeing things like that. Especially if it actually influenced the umpire’s decision. The idea, obviously, is that the umpire hears the click, mistakes it for an edge, the wicketkeeper catches the ball, and the batter is given out,” he stated.
“If that’s genuinely what happened, then there’s no place for it in cricket. Deliberately creating a false sound to fool an umpire? There’s absolutely no place for that. If anyone is doing it intentionally, stop. Play the game fairly,” he concluded.
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