Over the last couple of years, the Indian cricket team has been undergoing a phase of transition with Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, the team’s mainstays in all formats slowly easing up. Presently, they only play in the ODI format for India. In the post-Virat and Rohit era, Shubman Gill has been handed the reins of the Test and the ODI sides while the T20I team’s leadership rests with Suryakumar Yadav. The one constant through this phase and for both teams has been the chief coach Gautam Gambhir, who took over from Rahul Dravid in July 2024.
Now in an interview with JioHotstar, Gambhir has opened up about his role with the Indian teams.
“Ultimately, Suryakumar Yadav is still the leader of the T20I team. It’s his T20 team, not mine. It’s Shubman’s Test and ODI team, not mine,” Gambhir told Aakash Chopra in an interview ahead of the second Test at the Arjun Jaitley Stadium while sitting in the Gautam Gambhir Stand.
He went on to praise Yadav, who recently led the Indian team to the Asia Cup title with an unbeaten run that included three wins over arch-rivals Pakistan. “The kind of character that Surya is, that’s precisely what you want in T20 cricket. He himself is so free, whether with the bat in the middle or off the field. T20 cricket is all about freedom. It’s about expressing yourself. Jaisa character aapka hoga off the field, waisi hi personality hogi on field. And the character you have, will also reflect in the dressing room vibe. The way he has kept the team atmosphere for over a year in the side… look at the results as well. It’s high-risk and high-reward cricket,” Gambhir said.
Talking about himself as the coach of the national team, Gambhir said: “The first conversation I had with Surya was, we will not fear losing. I don’t want to be the most successful coach in the history of Indian cricket. We’d rather be the most fearless team. Ultimately if I start thinking about us becoming the most successful team, then it will start putting pressure on the kids about results. The most important thing is that the bigger the game, the more fearless and aggressive we need to be. In big games, we should not be scared of making mistakes. That’s the conversation during the Asia Cup final. Though it was India vs Pakistan, there was so much hype. Told the team that it’s okay to drop a catch, it’s okay to play a bad shot, it’s okay to bowl a shocking ball. Don’t think about what will happen if you make a mistake. The only opinion that should matter is of the 30 people in our dressing room. Logon ki opinions matter nahi karni chahiye because they’re not experiencing the pressure that we are.”
When Gambhir was asked about being under pressure himself, Gambhir said: “The pressure is on me everyday. Be it after the debacle against New Zealand or Australia series or after winning the Champions Trophy.”
