Akram believes Dhoni’s support will be crucial in helping Gambhir rekindle his form and confidence

Former Pakistan pace bowler Wasim Akram has called on India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni to continue supporting opening batsman Gautam Gambhir after he was ousted from the team for their ongoing four-Test series against Australia.

Akram stated that he was shocked by Gambhir’s omission and advised Dhoni to handle his opening batsman with a lot of care.

“You can’t drop him knowing fully well that here is one batsman who can play at least five-six years for India,” Akram said.

Even though Gambhir and Akram are both part of the Kolkata Knight Riders franchise in the Indian Premier League (IPL), the ex-Pakistani seamer noted that Gambhir would require captain Dhoni’s support at all times, especially now since he is going through an extremely rough batting patch.

“The captain must give his best players the confidence that the axe is not hanging on top of them,” Akram added. “Gambhir will expect this from his captain for sure. It’s a relationship.”

Despite India already having gained an unassailable 3-0 lead in the four-Test series, Akram still remains unsure whether the men in blue can complete a historic whitewash.

“While I think India are the favourites, a 4-0 victory is easier said than done,” Akram said. “India have to learn their lessons from the England defeat.”

Akram also wished India batsman Sachin Tendulkar all the best for the remainder of the final Test and stated that it is “unpredictable” to tell when the ‘Little Master’ will announce his retirement.

“He is following his passion so let Sachin decide his future,” Akram added.