Gautam Gambhir delivered a resolute message to the Indian team upon his appointment as head coach. He stressed the significance of excelling in all three formats of the game while prioritizing injury prevention and workload management. Gambhir's no-nonsense approach made it evident that players must act in the team's best interests.
Following the conclusion of Rahul Dravid's coaching tenure, Gambhir assumed the role of Team India's head coach. The announcement was made by BCCI secretary Jay Shah, receiving widespread approval from the Indian cricket community.
Gambhir acknowledged that injuries are an inevitable aspect of an athlete's career, emphasizing the importance of players participating in all formats if deemed physically fit.
"Injuries are part of sportsmen's life. And if you are playing all the three formats, you ect injured, you go back and get recovered but you should be playing all the three formats. I am not a big believer to identify people that okay we are going to keep him for Test matches and we are going to keep him and we are going to manage his injury and workload and stuff," Gambhir said in a video posted by Star Sports.
"Look professional cricketers, you got a very small span. When you are playing for your country you want to play as much as you can. When you are in very good form, go ahead and play all the three formats," Gambhir explained.
During Dravid's tenure, the previous coach prioritized injury management, particularly for players like Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah who were sidelined for an extended period due to injuries. In addition, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were strategically rested from T20Is to concentrate on preparations for the ODI World Cup in 2023.
Gambhir reiterated his belief that players should prioritize the team's interests over their individual interests.
"There's only one message to try and play with honesty. Try and be as honest as you can to a profession. All the results will follow. When I picked up the bat, I never thought of results. I never thought that I'm going to. I want to score these many runs. I've always believed that I have to be as honest as I can to my profession. Live on certain principles, live on certain values, try and do the right things, and try and do things, even if you think the whole world is against you. But your heart believes that you're doing the right thing for the best interest of team," Gambhir said.
"Whether I've been aggressive on the cricket field, whether I've had confrontations with people, just because it was all in the best interest of the team. Try and do that because, ultimately, it's the team that matters, not an individual. So go out there and only think of one thing to try and make your team win whichever team you play for. Because that is what team sports demand. It is not an individual sport where you think about your own self. It is a team sport where it is the team that comes first, you're probably the last one that comes in the entire line up."
Gambhir's inaugural task as head coach will be overseeing Team India's upcoming tour to Sri Lanka, featuring 3 T20Is and 3 ODIs commencing on July 26th. Looking ahead, Gambhir will guide the Indian side through 5 ICC events.
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