Gautam Gambhir, India’s recently appointed head coach, stated that his approach to player selection will not be centered on a specific format because he believes players who are “good enough” should play all three formats. Gambhir took over as head coach of Indian cricket from Rahul Dravid earlier this week, ushering in a new era. Aside from Dravid’s exit, the veteran trio of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja have announced their retirement from the T20I format. Gambhir and the Indian team will face an action-packed schedule. There has been conjecture about the number of players who could play under the new regime.
However, Gambhir has made it plain that he believes in individuals who can play in all three formats.
“I am a firm believer in one thing: if you are good, you should play all three formats. I’ve never been a huge fan of injury management; if you get hurt, you go get well. As easy as it gets. When you play international cricket and are talented enough, you can ask any of the best players if they want to play all three formats. They do not want to stay, nor do they want to be labeled as red-ball or white-ball bowlers. “Injuries are a part of a sportsman’s life,” Gambhir told Star Sports.
“If you play all three formats, you get hurt, return, and recover, but you should play all three formats. I don’t believe in recognizing people and then keeping them for test matches or other forms. We’ll manage his injury, workload, and so on. Professional cricketers have a short window of opportunity to play for their country, and they desire to play as much as possible. And when you’re in peak form, go ahead and play all three formats,” he said.
During his playing days, Gambhir was noted for his aggressive style of play. He extended his aggression into management, as seen by his work as a mentor for Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises Lucknow Super Giants and Kolkata Knight Riders.
When discussing his approach to the game, Gambhir simply had one message: play honestly.
“There is just one message, which attempts and plays with honesty. Try to be as honest as you can about your occupation. Results will follow. When I picked up the bat, I didn’t consider the consequences. I never expected to score this many runs. I’ve always believed that I should be as honest as possible in my work. Live by particular beliefs and values. Try to do the right things. Try to do things even if you believe the entire world is against you. But your heart believes you’re doing the right thing for the squad,” Gambhir explained.
“Whether I’ve been aggressive on the cricket pitch or had conflicts with people, it’s all been for the sake of the team. Try it because, in the end, the team is more important than the individual. So, go out there and focus solely on making your team win. Whatever team you play for, because that’s what team sports require. It is not an individual sport where you focus on yourself. It is a team sport in which the team finishes first. Gambhir continued, “You’re probably the last one in the entire lineup.”
The former southpaw batsman was a key figure in India’s victories in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in 2007 and the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in 2011.
He also captained the Kolkata Knight Riders to IPL titles in 2012 and 2014, and then coached the franchise to another title win in 2024.
His first duty as India’s head coach will be to lead the Men in Blue on their forthcoming trip to Sri Lanka, which begins on July 26.
