Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir has reflected on his relationship with the former Indian captain Rohit Sharma, stating that he didn’t have to build their relationship from scratch when he became coach.
It’s important to note that Gambhir was a veteran player when Rohit made his India debut. Speaking to JioStar, Gambhir asserted that their familiarity with each other made their coach-captain relationship seamless.
“I don’t think so. See, Rohit’s and my relationship wasn’t just of captain and coach. Rohit’s and my relationship, when Rohit came into the team, I was a senior player at that time. So Rohit’s and my relationship is from back then. Rohit knew me since then. It is not like Rohit and I had a new relationship, or that I came as a coach from a foreign country who has neither seen Rohit play, nor knows Rohit individually or personally, what kind of person he is,” Gambhir said on JioStar.
“So often when you have played together, things become very easy. And in fact, he knows my thinking, I know his thinking. Because tomorrow I might have some other thinking, the captain might have some other thinking, but ultimately, whatever is in the best interest of the team, if that’s the last final decision, then nothing can be better than that,” Gambhir added.
Gambhir reckoned that the key is not for the coach and captain to always agree, but to understand each other’s perspective. Despite the different leadership styles and personalities involved, Gambhir said he has found one common thing among all four captains he has worked with.
“And that’s why I said that with all four, whichever four captains I have worked with, this has been my experience with them, that everyone’s intention has been Indian cricket,” he concluded.
