Former Indian cricketer and commentator Kris Srikkanth has heaped praise on the Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir, who stated that he is not a big fan of data. Notably, these comments from the head coach came after India’s five-wicket win against the West Indies.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Srikkanth echoed Gambhir’s sentiments, stating that data is just information, but it’s the instinct that ultimately leads to success on the field, citing a few examples of Sanju Samson and Jasprit Bumrah.
"It was a superb statement by Gambhir, I loved it. Data should be used only up to one point. Data won't bat, bowl, or field for you; you have to do it yourself as a player. Data is just information, but it's the instinct that ultimately leads to success. Did Sanju Samson bat with data the other night? He smashed the bowling on instinct. Even Bumrah vs Hetmyer, Bumrah had to bowl well to get his wicket and not just bowl. He couldn't have just bowled a full toss to dismiss Hetmyer,” Kris Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel.
"For a change, I completely agree with Gautam Gambhir. Instinct plays a major role, especially in T20 cricket. If you play using data, you can't play some of the shots Sanju Samson played against the West Indies. Samson was playing tennis shots off front and back foot because he was playing out of instinct. The data from a computer won't bat for you, you only have to. Just for today, I am a fan of Gambhir after reading similar statements,” he added.
Furthermore, the former selector lauded the opening batter Samson, who smacked an unbeaten 97 against the Caribbeans to propel India to the semi-finals. Srikkanth went on to state that this knock would be remembered for life.
"All the newspapers have huge photos of Sanju Samson now. People have seemingly forgotten about Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, and Shubman Gill. This is an incredible turnaround for Sanju. That's the impact of the knock. When you play a match-winning knock in a must-win game, people will remember it for life. This knock was so brilliant that everybody now talks only about Sanju Samson," he concluded.
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“Just for today, I am a fan of Gambhir” - Kris Srikkanth backs Gautam Gambhir on his ‘data’ comment
"Just for today, I am a fan of Gambhir" – Kris Srikkanth backs Gautam Gambhir on his controversial 'data' comment amid T20 World Cup 2026 semi-final preparations.
Former Indian cricketer and commentator Kris Srikkanth has heaped praise on the Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir, who stated that he is not a big fan of data. Notably, these comments from the head coach came after India’s five-wicket win against the West Indies.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Srikkanth echoed Gambhir’s sentiments, stating that data is just information, but it’s the instinct that ultimately leads to success on the field, citing a few examples of Sanju Samson and Jasprit Bumrah.
"It was a superb statement by Gambhir, I loved it. Data should be used only up to one point. Data won't bat, bowl, or field for you; you have to do it yourself as a player. Data is just information, but it's the instinct that ultimately leads to success. Did Sanju Samson bat with data the other night? He smashed the bowling on instinct. Even Bumrah vs Hetmyer, Bumrah had to bowl well to get his wicket and not just bowl. He couldn't have just bowled a full toss to dismiss Hetmyer,” Kris Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel.
"For a change, I completely agree with Gautam Gambhir. Instinct plays a major role, especially in T20 cricket. If you play using data, you can't play some of the shots Sanju Samson played against the West Indies. Samson was playing tennis shots off front and back foot because he was playing out of instinct. The data from a computer won't bat for you, you only have to. Just for today, I am a fan of Gambhir after reading similar statements,” he added.
Furthermore, the former selector lauded the opening batter Samson, who smacked an unbeaten 97 against the Caribbeans to propel India to the semi-finals. Srikkanth went on to state that this knock would be remembered for life.
"All the newspapers have huge photos of Sanju Samson now. People have seemingly forgotten about Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, and Shubman Gill. This is an incredible turnaround for Sanju. That's the impact of the knock. When you play a match-winning knock in a must-win game, people will remember it for life. This knock was so brilliant that everybody now talks only about Sanju Samson," he concluded.
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