We want to be a team that adapts and learns quickly rather than adopting one approach, says head coach Gambhir
CHENNAI: There’s an element of directness about Gautam Gambhir. Nothing too flashy or eloquent, just a matter-of-fact approach geared towards only one thing – winning. This is what made him an immensely effective cricketer during his playing days, especially at the business end of ICC tournaments.And this is precisely what is making him such a hot property as coach.
Gambhir’s stupendous success with a generally inconsistent Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL was a big reason behind the BCCI’s decision to make him the head coach of the national team, despite his reputation of being confrontational with the team’s top star, Virat Kohli. “My relationship with all the senior players has been really good. Importantly, I think the heart needs to be in the right place. When your intention is to take Indian cricket for ward, most of the other things can take care of themselves,” Gambhir said on Wednesday.
He made it a point to mention that his much-hyped differences with star players are “not true”.
“I’ve played with some of the guys who have now become experienced players. Now as a coach, it’s still early days, but yes, the relationship we can build over a period of the next couple of years is going to be very important for Indian cricket. It’s not only about me, to be honest. I think it’s about all of us sitting in that room and having that one mission to keep taking Indian cricket forward,” the coach said.
Gauti had mixed results in his first series as India coach in a white ball series in Sri Lanka. While India won the T20Is, they lost the ODI series, playing quite poorly on spinning tracks at the Premadasa. The Bangladesh series will be his first assignment as a Test coach and everyone is keen to see what kind of an imprint he leaves.
“I’ve believed that the best style is the style that wins and we want to be a team that adapts and that learns quickly, rather than sticking to one style. If you start adopting one style, then there is no growth. We want guys to be playing the situation, the conditions, and then keep growing every day,” Gambhir said.
Another point that came up for discussion was India’s recent overreliance on spin-friendly pitches to win Tests at home. During Gambhir’s playing days, the pitches in India normally used to offer five-day contests, but the recent trend has been of Tests often finishing within three days.
“There has been a lot of talk regarding this. But when India went to South Africa, the Test match got over in two days as well. But no one spoke about that. Then why is this talk when it’s India and spinners? The opposition needs to learn how to play against spinners rather than changing the surfaces,” he said.
For the opposition, the Gauti message is loud and clear – adapt or perish.