'Burnout happens when player struggling'

NEW DELHI: With Indian team floundering in various formats during recent tours of South Africa and New Zealand, and in the Asia Cup, coach Duncan Fletcher's continuation has come into question with many experts saying that he should be replaced with a new man. However, opener Gautam Gambhir says that the coach cannot perform for the players.

Speaking to the TOI on the sidelines of Wings of Fire World Run event, Gambhir said, "The coach can't do both planning and execution. He can't go out on the field and do the things. It's ultimately the players who have to deliver."

Gambhir, out of the Indian team for a while now, has been grinding it out in domestic circuit in the past year in a bid to make a comeback. Doesn't he fear getting burnt out considering the number of matches he has playing? Gambhir brushed the suggestion aside. "Whenever a player is doing well, he should play the maximum number of games. He will never feel burnt out. This burnout only happens when a player is not performing or struggling with his game," he asserted.

The 32-year-old said that he has handled his dropping from the national better this time around better that when he was before the 2007 World Cup. "I was struggling to motivate myself to play again at that time. But now I have got older and matured. Cricket has given me a lot. I'll play till the love for the game stays with me."

Has KKR's faith in him helped him? "They kept me as captain because I was the highest scorer for them last year. Had I not scored, they wouldn't have picked me." What about the IPL playing a good stage for a national comeback? "I consider IPL to be an independent tournament. It has its own identity and to perform for KKR is the priority for me. Domestic cricket is where one plays to stage a comeback."

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Shweta Pandey

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