Indian men’s cricket team head coach Gautam Gambhir during a training session ahead of the first T20 match between India and Sri Lanka. (PTI)
Former India captain and coach Ravi Shastri feels Gautam Gambhir will flourish in his new role as head coach, and calls his appointment “refreshing.”
“He’s (Gambhir) contemporary, he just had a great season in the IPL. I think he’s the right age where he’s young, he’ll come with fresh ideas. He knows most of the players, especially in the white-ball format, having been part of teams in the IPL. So I think it’s refreshing,” Shastri said on the recent episode of The ICC Review.
“And we know with Gautam, he’s a no-nonsense guy. He’ll have his ideas as well. And the good thing for him is he’s got a mature team. He’s got a settled team, a mature team. I think even though you might think you’re mature, you might benefit from some fresh ideas. So I think it’ll be interesting times.” Shastri feels managing the workload of players, especially bowlers, will be Gambhir’s biggest challenge.
“Obviously, player management becomes the key as a coach. So it’ll be interesting to see how he goes. I think he’s got the tools, he’s got the goods for the job and he’s got the experience.”
Gambhir’s first assignment as India coach is the white-ball series in Sri Lanka which starts with a three-match T20 series in Pallekele on Saturday.
“There’s so many (good India) players out there and it’s just about getting the right mix. I think a lot of the players that won this T20 World Cup will still be around two years later (at the 2026 T20 World Cup),” Shastri said.
Find the replacement for Rohit, Virat and Jadeja
Shastri feels Gambhir’s biggest task would be to find replacements for the trio of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja, who retired from the T20I format after last month’s T20 World Cup triumph.
Rohit Sharma and Co in action during the 2024 T20 World Cup. (AP/PTI)
“You mentioned the three players who were retired, but barring them, I think most of the others will be still fit to be in that T20 World Cup team two years down the line in India.
“I don’t think there’s much to be done there. In fact, you will get a problem on your hands because you’ll have to choose from the new lot that’s coming and there’s some real exciting talent there.
“It’s the other way around. It’s how do you get those guys in there that they’re bursting at the scenes to get it. There’s a queue out there and that will be his biggest challenge, but it’s a good headache when you have that kind of talent.”
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