Dinesh Karthik has given his two cent about Gautam Gambhir's appointment as the head coach of Team India. Gambhir, a former India opener, recently took over the mantle from Rahul Dravid to become India's new head coach. Rahul Dravid's impressive stint concluded last month after India secured title triumph in the T20 World Cup 2024. Under Dravid's coaching, India experienced success across all formats. In 2023, the Men in Blue won the Asia Cup, reached the finals of both the ODI World Cup and the Test World Championship, and ended India's 11-year wait for an ICC trophy by winning the T20 World Cup. With Dravid's remarkable achievements as a backdrop, Gambhir now faces the challenge of meeting high expectations as the head coach. This marks Gambhir's first time serving as the head coach of any team, and he will be aiming to continue the success and build on the foundation laid by his predecessor.
Dinesh Karthik
Meanwhile, Dinesh Karthik is confident that his former India teammate will perform well in his stint as India coach. Reflecting on their time together at Delhi Capitals, the then Delhi Daredevils, when Gambhir was the captain, the former wicketkeeper-batsman praised the newly-appointed head coach, noting that Gambhir is tactically very astute.
"First of all, when I played for Delhi Daredevils in the early years, it started with Sehwag being the captain, but year three it was Gautam Gambhir. He was a very good captain, tactically very astute and I was the vice-captain under him," said Dinesh Karthik on Cricbuzz.
Gautam Gambhir is a very good leader: Dinesh Karthik
Karthik also elaborated on what Gambhir would contribute to the Indian dressing room. Karthik praised Gambhir as a players' advocate, highlighting how this quality would benefit the team. He also mentioned that Gambhir would introduce a 'clever tactical angle' to the Indian side.
"He's a very good leader. I think he will bring two things to the Indian team. One, the fact that he's a complete players' man," said Karthik.
“He protects his players and that's very important in international cricket because at times you can feel lonely or deserted in international cricket when performances don't go your way,” Karthik further said.
ALSO READ: Ravindra Jadeja to Sanju Samson: 5 cricketers likely to miss Pakistan's Champions Trophy 2025
"So, Gambhir is going to do that, and number two, he'll definitely bring a clever tactical angle to this Indian team. Very fierce, intense guy and I always like playing for the team and did whatever it took to win a game of cricket," added Karthik.
Gambhir's first assignment as India's head coach will be India's tour of Sri Lanka. India and Sri Lanka will be playing three T20I and as many ODIs in the white-ball series.
MORE ON SPORTS TAK:
Here's why BCCI appointed Suryakumar Yadav as new T20I captain over Hardik Pandya - REASON REVEALED
