Ravi Shastri and Rahul Dravid laid a very high benchmark as the Indian head coaches which will be tough for Gambhir to follow. Shastri proved to be the right person to transform the Indian cricket team into a fighting unit that could win Test matches away from home and could seriously compete with the best teams in their backyard. However, the Shastri-Virat Kohli era did not win the ICC event. Still, India managed to sustain the top Test rank for five years in a row and claimed ICC mace and thus amalgamated a memorable chapter in Indian cricketing annals. However, the tours of South Africa and New Zealand proved to be quite challenging for the Indian cricket team under Shastri.
They have paid money For this and Gambhir faces a challenge ahead. Till Rahul Dravid chips in with his take on Gambhir’s appointment, Shastri’s verdict is Characteristically bullish. The former India coach said that Gambhir is a man of the right character for the job of molding a team to beat all the teams in the world. Therefore, Gambhir should lead Indian cricket as he fits all the criteria that a coach should possess; he has no prior coaching experience, but he has been significant with various IPL franchises and thus interacts with youth closely.
Shastri aired his opinion on The ICC Review Show and said that “Gambhir is contemporary and recently had a great season in the IPL. He is at the right age to bring fresh ideas into the team. He knows most of the players, especially in the white-ball format, as he was a part of various IPL franchises, which will be new. ”
“The top advantage for Gambhir is that he has a fine, mature side, On the surface, you may be mature, however, refreshing ideas are always helpful and it is going to be quite fascinating to see how he fares as a coach. I think he has all the tools and ability along with experience that is generally expected from a coach. ”
Understanding players quickly will be key: With Gambhir sealing his place in the first T20I of the series against Sri Lanka on Saturday the former Indian opener is upbeat with his team’s chances. The majority of the players from the 15-man Indian team are ordinary to Gambhir in one way or another be it through face-to-face interaction, interchange of words, or physical contact on the field. Such familiarity should help communication. There is a new crop of talent such as Shubman Gill and Shivam Dube with whom Gambhir has not been in a team let alone batting, but Shastri is very confident that Gambhir will gel well with every player.
Shastri during his conversation threw indirect barbs at Gambhir saying; ‘It is important for a captain to know his men, their abilities, attitude and character, etc; needless to say much inside work is involved on a person’.
“I believe that will be his most crucial work, which he can perform adequately because he is a modern character. He has watched these players from a distance and has negotiated with most of them during his stint with KKR and Lucknow Super Giants. ”
However, apart from the players, one must note that Gambhir’s team administration will be critical. These remarks prove that the companies should involve experienced experts in the management of players in contemporary crises. IPL has given Boucher knowledge of the modern dynamics of cricket and players. Because of his brash and non-sense personality, it is expected that the team’s discipline and focus will be attained to enable the team to compete on the international level.
With Cricket being Gambhir’s forte, people await to see how he will revolutionize the Indian team in this new chapter of the country’s cricket build-up. The Sri Lanka series- The England cricket team will be a perfect test of his coaching potential as well as the potential of his players.
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