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The dawn of a new era in Indian cricket has commenced under the fiery guidance of Gautam Gambhir, who is known for winning and hitting twice as hard back attitude. As India steps into this chapter with Gambhir at the helm, the journey has begun in a manner that brings flashbacks of his own career, whether it was failing to make an impact in his first Test or the first ODI. But looking back at his career, people remember him as the hero of the T20 World Cup 2007 and the Cricket World Cup 2011.
Despite not being able to make a statement with his first assignment against Sri Lanka, much like his initial days on the pitch, there’s concrete grit and potential that promises to fuel the Indian team.
Looking back at his career being a guide, Gambhir took Lucknow Super Giants to the playoffs of the IPL two times in a row. After returning as a mentor for his second home, where he received an abundance of love and glory in the form of two IPL titles as the captain, he went on to make Kolkata Knight Riders win their third title. His accomplishments spoke for himself as an outstanding leader and ended up being the Commander of this new Indian team.
There’s no doubt about how equipped and tough the Indian team are in the cricket world right now, but after the calm of Rahul Dravid, there has to be someone like Gautam Gambhir.
Well, the question is, will he be able to continue the way he used to operate the IPL teams or he will look to do something different, especially after the recent Sri Lanka tour?
Here are a few things that lay down the foundation of the Indian team’s path to success under Gambhir’s watch
- Gautam Gambhir made sure that senior players would be part of the team no matter who the opposition was, as we got to see Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in the ODI series, which anyone could have expected them to be rested, but it is a clear indication that the senior player will be playing all the matches, especially when they have already said goodbyes to the shortest format.
- While Rohit and Virat were included in the ODI team, there were a couple of players, who were rested to not just preserve them but also to give opportunity to the young guns like Riyan Parag, Washington Sundar, and Arshdeep Singh. This states that Gambhir understands the value of preserving talents like Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya and at the same time, presenting opportunities to the youngsters.
- The Indian fans might see the batters rolling their arms in the games, which not only extends the bowling options but also can be a relief for any bowler who is having a rough day. Keeping an eye on the Sri Lanka tour, we got to see Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav, Riyan Parag, Rinku Singh and Rohit Sharma with the ball in their hands, which states that this new Indian team will have ample of bowling options.
- It will be interesting to see how Gautam Gambhir takes up the challenge of being with the Test team and how he would look to win each and every Test match.
- There have been many occasions when a few deserving players have missed out on being a part of the Indian team and Gautam Gambhir has always talked about giving opportunities to the right players at the right time, so the fans can expect a lot of comebacks and debuts in the near future.
The left-hander may have started his stint with a setback, but the road will be one sans bumps should the coach draw a leaf from the batsman that broke into the side many moons ago.
It’s worthwhile to remember, the Delhi-born made his way into the Indian side despite the team having two openers back then.
And despite failing to make an impact in his initial days, it was none other than Gautam Gambhir who managed to help India lift two most important trophies. That said, his role as a coach will not be any different as his eyes are always focused on the big prize.
With the Champions Trophy and a World Test Championship final scheduled in the next year, Gautam Gambhir has much on his plate, which he’d like to devour like opportunities he so often mastered in his playing days.
