‘Why can't coaches be treated the same’ - Sunil Gavaskar not amused with SRH's tackling of David Warner

The Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) team management faced a lot of flak for removing David Warner as captain in the middle of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021, which got postponed midway after several players contracted the COVID-19 virus. The Australian opener has been a cornerstone of SRH ever since joining the franchise in 2014. While he won the Orange Cap thrice in the SRH jersey, he even guided the side to their maiden title in 2016.

However, Warner’s few mediocre outings in IPL 2021 meant Kane Williamson replaced him as SRH captain. Moreover, the southpaw even got dropped from the playing XI, and this left the cricket fraternity in disarray. Indian cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar, part of IPL 2021 commentary panel, was also not amused with Warner’s treatment and questioned SRH’s strategy.

“Hyderabad will also get time to think about its decision to not just sack David Warner as the captain but even to drop him from the playing XI. Warner was getting runs but not in the same assertive manner of earlier years. Still, with little support from the others, those runs were precious. Yet, he was left out of the playing XI, which was strange. Without the cares of captaincy, he could have been the galvanizing batsman that the team needed,” Gavaskar wrote in Sportstar.

If captains can be changed midway, why can’t coaches?: Sunil Gavaskar

The former Indian opener even went on to say that if captains can be changed midway for better results, then this rule should be implied on coaches as well. Citing the example of football club managers, Gavaskar opined that coaches also should be sacked midway in the tournament after poor results.

“While the rights and wrongs of dropping him as captain could well be debated for long, the question that needs to be asked is if captains can be changed midway, why can’t coaches be treated the same? In football, the moment a team starts faltering, it’s the manager who is shown the exit door, so why not in cricket too?” he added.

Notably, SRH endured a horrible campaign in the initial half of the season. With just one win in seven games, the Orange Army was last in the team standings by the time of season suspension. Hence, the 2016 champions need to win all their remaining matches to make a place in the playoffs without any hassle. Gavaskar feels that the postponement of IPL is a blessing in disguise for SRH as they got time to rework their strategies.

“Sunrisers Hyderabad had a forgettable beginning and would have been relieved that the event had to be suspended…the suspension could well be a blessing in disguise as it allows time for a calm, cool and proper introspection rather than in the hurly-burly of the tournament itself,” he asserted.