Gautam Gambhir will commence his tenure as head coach of the Indian team this Saturday as they face Sri Lanka in the first T20I of a three-match series led by Suryakumar Yadav. Gambhir has taken over the reins from former India captain Rahul Dravid, whose contract expired last month. Much speculation has surrounded Gambhir's appointment and the impact he will have on the team. Former India head coach Ravi Shastri has also weighed in on Gambhir's new role, having passed the baton to Dravid following the conclusion of the T20 World Cup in 2021.
During his time, the Indian team did not secure an ICC trophy. However, under the leadership of Virat Kohli, they achieved significant success in Test cricket, including consecutive series wins in Australia.
Although Gautam Gambhir lacks coaching experience in the IPL, he has served as a mentor for various franchises and successfully led KKR to a title victory earlier this year.
Ravi Shastri believes that a youthful coach like Gambhir will inject a new perspective into the Indian team.
"He's contemporary, he just had a great season in the IPL. I think he's the right age where he's young, he'll come with fresh ideas. He knows most of the players, especially in the white-ball format, having been part of teams in the IPL. So I think it's refreshing," Shastri said on The ICC Review Show.
Shastri emphasized that although Gambhir is known for his straightforward approach, effective player management will be crucial during his time in office.
"And we know with Gautam, he's a no-nonsense guy. He'll have his ideas as well. And the good thing for him is he's got a mature team. He's got a settled team, a mature team. I think even though you might think you're mature, you might benefit from some fresh ideas. So I think it'll be interesting times. Obviously, player management becomes the key as a coach. So it'll be interesting to see how he goes. I think he's got the tools, he's got the goods for the job and he's got the experience."
"It's a question of just understanding his players as quickly as possible. What their strengths are, what kind of human beings they are and what kind of temperaments do they have? What are their personalities? A lot goes behind the scenes to understand a human being," added Shastri.
"I think that will be his most important task, which I think again should not be a problem because he's contemporary. He's seen these guys from the outside, he's dealt with a lot of guys who might have played with KKR as well and for Lucknow (Super Giants) when he was there."
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