NEW DELHI: Head coach Gautam Gambhir emphasized on Wednesday the importance of maintaining a good relationship with senior players like captain Rohit Sharma and prominent batsman Virat Kohli to take Indian cricket forward.
Gambhir, who recently replaced Rahul Dravid after the T20 World Cup, has previously shared the Indian dressing room with Kohli, Rohit, and Ravichandran Ashwin.”It’s still early days (for him as coach). But the good part is that I have played with those guys (seniors).At one stage we were sharing the dressing room as players, when they were younger, who have now become experienced guys,” PTI quoted Gambhir as saying in the pre-match press meet in Chennai.
“When you have that kind of a relationship, sometimes it gets much easier than building a relationship. Obviously, now the roles are different.
“The relationship we can build over a period of next couple of years. It’s going to be very important, and now we should keep taking it a little bit forward because we’ve got massive challenges coming our way,” he added.
The spat between Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli, following an IPL match in Lucknow, has gained attention on social media. It has often been depicted as highlighting tension between the two cricket players.
However, Gambhir has rejected these interpretations.
“Sometimes people have made a lot of hue and cry about these things. But that’s not true. My relationship with everyone in the dressing room team has been really, really good.
“More importantly I think the heart needs to be in the right place. When the passion is there, I think a lot of things can ease. I think the desire to win each and every time when we walk onto the cricket field, it’s there. So, I think we’ve started off really well,” said Gambhir.
The 42-year-old explained his reasoning for selecting eleven for a specific match. He emphasised the importance of communication in his decision-making process.
“I think the most important thing is clear communication. See, we don’t drop anyone. We only select the best playing 11. We think and do the job for that particular Test match.”
The former India opener has clarified any doubts regarding the first-choice wicket-keeper for the upcoming Test against Bangladesh. The opening Test is scheduled to start on Thursday.
“I feel Jurel is a quality player. He’s done phenomenally well in the last series (against England). He played some really crucial knocks under pressure. But sometimes people will have to wait.
“Someone like Sarfaraz has also done really well. But sometimes you just need to wait for the opportunity and keep working hard. India has got a really long Test season ahead.
“So, we just have to make sure that these guys are ready whenever they get their opportunity. And that is what is called bench strength,” he added.
Gambhir, who recently replaced Rahul Dravid after the T20 World Cup, has previously shared the Indian dressing room with Kohli, Rohit, and Ravichandran Ashwin.”It’s still early days (for him as coach). But the good part is that I have played with those guys (seniors).At one stage we were sharing the dressing room as players, when they were younger, who have now become experienced guys,” PTI quoted Gambhir as saying in the pre-match press meet in Chennai.
“When you have that kind of a relationship, sometimes it gets much easier than building a relationship. Obviously, now the roles are different.
“The relationship we can build over a period of next couple of years. It’s going to be very important, and now we should keep taking it a little bit forward because we’ve got massive challenges coming our way,” he added.
The spat between Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli, following an IPL match in Lucknow, has gained attention on social media. It has often been depicted as highlighting tension between the two cricket players.
However, Gambhir has rejected these interpretations.
“Sometimes people have made a lot of hue and cry about these things. But that’s not true. My relationship with everyone in the dressing room team has been really, really good.
“More importantly I think the heart needs to be in the right place. When the passion is there, I think a lot of things can ease. I think the desire to win each and every time when we walk onto the cricket field, it’s there. So, I think we’ve started off really well,” said Gambhir.
The 42-year-old explained his reasoning for selecting eleven for a specific match. He emphasised the importance of communication in his decision-making process.
“I think the most important thing is clear communication. See, we don’t drop anyone. We only select the best playing 11. We think and do the job for that particular Test match.”
The former India opener has clarified any doubts regarding the first-choice wicket-keeper for the upcoming Test against Bangladesh. The opening Test is scheduled to start on Thursday.
“I feel Jurel is a quality player. He’s done phenomenally well in the last series (against England). He played some really crucial knocks under pressure. But sometimes people will have to wait.
“Someone like Sarfaraz has also done really well. But sometimes you just need to wait for the opportunity and keep working hard. India has got a really long Test season ahead.
“So, we just have to make sure that these guys are ready whenever they get their opportunity. And that is what is called bench strength,” he added.
