Anubhav Katheria
Former Indian head coach Ravi Shastri has nothing but praises for the new India head coach Gautam Gambhir. Shastri who was the head coach of India from 2017 to 2021, under whom India was ruthless in the game and was at the top of Test ranking for 5 years in a row and won the ICC maze. Shastri feels having Gambhir as a head coach is refreshing because he has fresh ideas, and he is contemporary.
Shastri said that Gambhir is contemporary and just had a great IPL season. He thinks that Gambhir is at the right age when he is young and will come up with some fresh ideas. Gambhir knows most of these players, especially in the white ball format having been part of the teams in IPL, so it’s refreshing, Shastri added.
Shastri also said that Gambhir is a no-nonsense guy, and he will have his ideas, and the good thing is that he has got a settled and mature team. Shastri thinks that even though you think you’re mature you might benefit from some fresh ideas.
According to Shastri the most important task for Gambhir will be to understand his players quickly, what kind of human beings they are, what are their strengths, what kind of temperament they have and what are their personalities. Shastri also stated that he doesn’t think that it will be a problem for Gambhir because he has dealt with a lot of these players in the IPL.
Although player management becomes the key as a coach, it will be interesting to see how he goes, Shastri added. Shastri feels that Gambhir has the tools and the goods for the job and has experience.
Gambhir as head coach
Gambhir has some big shoes to fill where under the last head coach Rahul Dravid India won an ICC trophy after 11 years and before Dravid there was Ravi Shastri, under him India not only won against big teams at home but also won Test matches abroad and was at the top of Test ranking for 5 years and India become the only team to win back-to-back test series in Australia.
Gautam Gambhir’s first assignment as the Indian head coach is a 6 match white ball series against Sri Lanka in an away series. India will play the first T20I under Gambhir on 27 July, Saturday. India is looking for a fresh start in T20 since their star players Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Ravinder Jadeja have announced their retirement from the format after winning the T20 World Cup.
