Former Indian batter Sanjay Manjrekar reckons India’s new head coach Gautam Gambhir is one of the very few people who can be clinical about Indian cricket and not too emotional. Gambhir is known for his aggressive approach and he will look to get the best out of the players during his stint.
The former Indian opener also took Kolkata Knight Riders to IPL 2024 glory as a mentor. Earlier, Gambhir had helped Lucknow Super Giants qualify for the IPL playoffs in 2022 and 2023 editions.
“Coaches have limited sort of impact in cricket. Rahul Dravid did a fantastic job, and the T20 World Cup win was something that he needed as a parting gift. He put his heart and soul in the game, and the same can be expected from Gautam Gambhir. I’ve known him for the last 3-4 years, and he is a guy who reads the game really well. One of the very few people who can be clinical about Indian cricket, and not too emotional,” Manjrekar said on ESPN Cricinfo.
Manjrekar expects Gambhir to change his methods as a head coach of the Indian team in order to get the best out of the players.
“Maybe not as much the captain, but the coach is as good as the team. So, Indian cricket is in a great state, and I believe that should continue no matter who the coach. What we see of Gambhir is his public persona, as a player and as an expert. Now, when he gets into the team as coach, I’m sure somewhere he will change his ways a little bit, and think differently.” Majrekar opined.
Under Gambhir’s tutelage, India won the T20I series by 3-0 but suffered 2-0 loss in the ODI series.
The opening Test match between India and Bangladesh will be played at the Chepauk Stadium, Chennai from September 19.
