Gautam Gambhir, the newly-appointed head coach of the Indian cricket team, has been lauded by his childhood coach for his astute observations and insightful predictions. Following Gambhir’s stellar run as coach of Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2024, where he led the team to their third title triumph, he was recommended by the Cricket Advisory Committee to take over the reins from Rahul Dravid as India’s head coach. The committee, consisting of Ashok Malhotra, Jatin Paranjape, and Sulakshana Naik, unanimously agreed on Gambhir’s appointment. Gambhir’s childhood coach, Sanjay Bharadwaj, expressed his confidence in the former cricketer’s ability to lead Team India to new heights. According to Bharadwaj, Gambhir has a winner’s mentality that has been evident since his younger days. He highlighted a moment from the past when Gambhir predicted Rohit Sharma’s success, even when the latter was struggling to find form. Bharadwaj commended Gambhir for his genuine nature and golden heart, citing an incident where Gambhir bestowed a ‘Man of the Match’ award on Virat Kohli in their early days. Gambhir’s genuine approach to coaching and his firm decision-making were also emphasized by Bharadwaj, stating that he plays to win and believes in building a cohesive team rather than playing favorites. With his first assignment against Sri Lanka looming, Gambhir is poised to lead Team India without the services of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who recently retired from T20Is. Despite their absence in the white-ball series, Rohit and Kohli are expected to continue contributing in the longer formats under Gambhir’s leadership. Gambhir’s appointment marks a new era for Indian cricket, and fans are eager to see his impact on the team’s performance across all formats.
