You have no idea whether Gambhir threw up a stink or not. How do you know he didn't react similarly to Flintoff, but just indoors? Or in his own way, which is different to how someone like Flintoff would show such emotion?
At the same time playing through injuries and trying to come back too quickly can be more of a long term hindrance to the team. I think a player who holds his hands up and says "guys, I'm not quite ready for this game but I'll be doing my best to make sure I'm fighting fit for the next game" is a far better asset to the team long term than someone like Flintoff who basically knackered his body.
Different issue; the Indian players who did so deserve to cop flak given the national team's touring commitments after the IPL.
Yeah awta.
Ah ok, I thought that Gambhir was in the same boat as Sehwag and Zaheer (?) in playing IPL despite already having injuries.
Well, I don't but, balance of probabilities, if he's having a full net it's unlikely the physio's told him to go back to the hotel and rest, isn't it?
Haha, after my knee troubles in the last year I certainly wouldn't ever bag anyone for not playing with a sore knee.
Gambhir himself said he just faced up for 10 mins.. Why do we have to believe Bumble and Manjrekar here? Maybe they just thought that sort of commentary would help create more interest on what they are doing...
you speak as if you got first hand knowledge of what he said and how injured he was... Bottomline is he has played through injuries often enough in his career for people to conclude that the 2nd test was just an aberration and that he may have seriously felt that playing another batsman who is fully fit (Yuvraj) might be more beneficial for the team.. Brumby, you are among the best posters in this forum but you are needlessly getting involved in this debate based on nothing but your own opinions of him which are simply not backed up by facts of his career till date... If you don't like him, fair enough, but lets not throw around accusations that have no basis whatsoever...
Hardly baseless to suggest a batsmen who's missed tests on three separate occasions in the last year might be less prepared to suck it up than other players, is it? None of them were bone breaks, muscle pulls or tears, cartilage or ligament injuries.
You don't really want to hear what the Star Panel said tbh
In b4 someone speculates about Ponting missing few matches in and a couple of tours including 2004 to India and when he returned to the nets.
Agree. Miss a few of the tougher tests
So you basically want dumb macho decisions to be made during selection instead of decisions which favour the whole team and their chances of success.
Are you the physio? Are you aware of the level of the back up players that were available on each of the occassions? Are you sure people may well have felt in the management that it is better for them to play the fully fit back up batsman instead of an half fit Gambhir?
yep.. Like PontingAgree. Miss a few of the tougher tests
Haha. Just no.yep.. Like Ponting
