'He believed every word of his was correct': Shahid Afridi revives long-running spat with Gautam Gambhir

Former Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi has reopened his long-standing rivalry with India’s current head coach, Gautam Gambhir. In a fresh remark aimed at his old on-field adversary, Afridi took a sly swipe at Gambhir’s coaching approach, reigniting a feud that has simmered for years.

In a recent interaction, Afridi said Gambhir began his coaching tenure with an air of absolute certainty. “When Gautam started, it seemed like he believed everything he said was right. But over time, it becomes clear that no one is always correct,” Afridi remarked.

Their clashes go back years. In his autobiography, Afridi recounted a fiery exchange during the 2007 Asia Cup, when Gambhir ran into him while taking a single. According to Afridi, the situation nearly turned physical before the umpires intervened. He wrote that the conversation that followed involved heated insults about each other’s families.

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Afridi, in his book, didn’t hold back on his opinion of Gambhir’s personality either. He criticised the former opener for lacking positivity and described him as someone who carried himself with an inflated sense of importance. “Gambhir behaves like he’s a mix of Don Bradman and James Bond. In Karachi, we call such people saryal (irritated, burnt up). I prefer cheerful and positive individuals,even aggressive ones, but Gambhir wasn’t one,” Afridi wrote.

He continued his harsh assessment, calling Gambhir a person with “no personality” and “barely a character in the bigger picture,” making it clear that his views have not softened with time.

Gambhir, however, has never shied away from responding in kind. During the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, he brushed off Afridi’s comments by questioning his maturity. “He might be able to sell his book better this way. Some people age physically but not mentally. Afridi may be 36 or 37, but mentally he’s still 16,” Gambhir had said, even suggesting the Pakistani all-rounder needed psychiatric help.