Liked Gautam Gambhir as a batsman, not as a person: Shahid Afridi
Shahid Afridi and Gautam Gambhir are considered as the top nemesis of each other, both on and off the field. The veteran cricketers have involved in a couple of heated arguments on the pitch with 2007 Kanpur ODI being the highlight of it. While, both Gambhir and Afridi have taken several digs on each other off the field as well.
Recently, former Pakistan skipper took another pot-shot at former India opener and said he always liked Gambhir as a batsman but as a human being he has some issues.
“As a cricketer, as a batsman, I’ve liked him always but as a human being he sometimes says certain things, gives certain treatment that you feel just let it be, he has some problems. His physio has already highlighted that,” Afridi to Zainab Abbas in an interview.
Afridi was hinted towards the earlier comments made by the former India mental conditioning coach Paddy Upton.
Earlier, Upton pointed out in his new book, 'The Barefoot Coach', at how former India opener Gautam Gambhir was riddled with insecurities, doubts and vulnerabilities. He went on to add that the former Kolkata Knight Riders skipper was one of the most negative people he has worked with.
To which Gambhir replied that while he has enjoyed every session he had with the former India mental conditioning coach, Upton could have highlighted other facets to the batsman than just pointing at his desire to raise the performance bar.
"I don't see anything sinister with what Paddy wrote. He is a top guy and I see this as his personal opinion. He just missed two important things: firstly, he didn't state all the other facts and secondly, he failed to explain the perspective. Anyone would like to have a guy who is not satisfied with his current achievements. So in short, I wasn't satisfied with a 100 and wanted to have more," he told IANS at that time.
