Legendary South Africa pacer Dale Steyn is a big fan of Gautam Gambhir. Steyn is convinced that Gambhir will bring his aggression to the Indian dressing room. Officially unveiled as India’s head coach on Tuesday by Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah, Gambhir will make his coaching debut in the international arena with the upcoming series between India and Sri Lanka. The two-time ICC World Cup winner succeeded Rahul Dravid, who guided Virat Kohli-starrer Team India to their second T20 world title in his final assignment.
Interestingly, Gambhir has no official coaching experience in competitive cricket. However, the former India batter has mentored Indian Premier League (IPL) teams Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). Shreyas Iyer-led KKR side secured their third IPL crown in Gambhir’s homecoming season with the franchise this year. With Gambhir-mentored KKR lifting the famous trophy, the celebrated cricketer became an outright favourite to replace Dravid as India’s next head coach.
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Talking about Gambhir’s arrival, former South African pacer Styen feels world cricket needs aggressive players, who can play the game a ‘little bit harder’. The former Proteas fast bowler also admitted that senior players of the current roster won’t play a big role in the Gambhir era. Skipper Rohit Sharma, batting icon Kohli and veteran all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja have already bid farewell to T20I cricket after India’s World Cup triumph.
“I’m a big fan of Gautam Gambhir. I love his aggression. He’s one of the few Indians I ever played against who came back at you, and I like that. I think he’s going to take that into the dressing room with guys like Virat and some of the other senior players who might not play as big a part anymore. I’m not too sure. Not just in India, but in world cricket, we need guys who are a little bit more aggressive and play the game a little bit harder,” Styen told Star Sports.
According to BCCI secretary Shah, modern-day cricket has evolved rapidly, and Gambhir has witnessed this changing landscape up close. Gambhir has some crucial assignments in the next two years as India’s head coach. In November, India will tour Australia for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Gambhir will rebuild the Indian team before the 2025 Champions Trophy. In 2026, India will co-host the T20 World Cup with Sri Lanka.
“We all seem to play in the leagues against each other, and we become quite friendly and friends. I like the way that he’s fierce on the field but a gentleman off the field. He’s also streetwise, a very smart cricketer, and has a great cricket brain. So I think from that point of view, he’s going to be fantastic for them too,” Styen added.
