Head coach Gautam Gambhir talked at length about his coaching style for Team India, which has so far yielded results for the Men in Blue, if we minus the humiliating Test series sweep against New Zealand at home. Gambhir has made it clear that he doesn't wish to be the most successful coach of Indian cricket, rather he wants to make the team most successful.
Gautam Gambhir distances himself from taking credit of Team India's success
The Indian cricket team has been navigating a significant phase of transition over the last couple of years. Team mainstays Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are slowly winding down their multi-format careers, presently only featuring for India in the ODI format. Looking ahead to the post-Virat and Rohit era, the team leadership has been entrusted to a new generation: Shubman Gill has been handed the reins of both the Test and ODI sides, while Suryakumar Yadav is leading the T20I team.The one constant presence throughout this period of change, overseeing both teams, has been the chief coach, Gautam Gambhir. Gambhir took over the demanding role from Rahul Dravid in July 2024. He has now publicly opened up about his responsibilities and approach with the Indian teams in a recent interview with JioHotstar.
“Ultimately, Suryakumar Yadav is still the leader of the T20I team. It’s his T20 team, not mine. It’s Shubman’s Test and ODI team, not mine,” Gambhir told Aakash Chopra in an interview ahead of the second Test against West Indies.
Gambhir all praise for Suryakumar Yadav
Gambhir went on to offer high praise for Suryakumar, specifically noting his recent success as captain. Yadav recently led the Indian team to the Asia Cup title with a dominant, unbeaten run, a campaign that notably included three victories over arch-rivals Pakistan.
“The kind of character that Surya is, that’s precisely what you want in T20 cricket. He himself is so free, whether with the bat in the middle or off the field. T20 cricket is all about freedom. It’s about expressing yourself. Jaisa character aapka hoga off the field, waisi hi personality hogi on field. And the character you have, will also reflect in the dressing room vibe. The way he has kept the team atmosphere for over a year in the side… look at the results as well. It’s high-risk and high-reward cricket,” he further said.
Talking about his own position as the coach of the national team, Gambhir then offered his perspective and said that he never aspires to be the most successful coach in Indian cricket history rather focuses on making the team more successful.
“The first conversation I had with Surya was, we will not fear losing. I don’t want to be the most successful coach in the history of Indian cricket. We’d rather be the most fearless team. Ultimately if I start thinking about us becoming the most successful team, then it will start putting pressure on the kids about results. The most important thing is that the bigger the game, the more fearless and aggressive we need to be," former India captain further stated.
"In big games, we should not be scared of making mistakes. That’s the conversation during the Asia Cup final. Though it was India vs Pakistan, there was so much hype. Told the team that it’s okay to drop a catch, it’s okay to play a bad shot, it’s okay to bowl a shocking ball. Don’t think about what will happen if you make a mistake. The only opinion that should matter is of the 30 people in our dressing room. Logon ki opinions matter nahi karni chahiye because they’re not experiencing the pressure that we are,” he concluded.