'I have big shoes to fill': Gautam Gambhir Outlines Coaching Approach for Leading GIANT Team India

Under head coach Gautam Gambhir, India sets off a new chapter when they square against Sri Lanka in a white ball bilateral series of 3 T20Is and 3 ODIs starting on Saturday. Gautam Gambhir and Ajit Agarkar held a press conference in Mumbai on Monday, July 22, 2024, ahead of the series, where they answered many press questions. All eyes are on India to see the team's performance and strategic orientation under Gambhir's leadership, as this series is the first one the new head coach works on.

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Gautam Gambhir speaks on his approach as a coach to leading the Indian Cricket Team 

Emphasising the need of giving players flexibility and developing relationships based on trust instead of a conventional head coach-player dynamic, Gautam Gambhir notes the difficulty of running a very successful squad. He promises the squad constant support and gives a top priority on a safe and clean changing room. Aiming to create a pleasant environment, Gambhir's simple approach emphasises the shared duty of the whole support team as he believes that a content dressing room is essential to reach success. Gautam Gambhir said: 

"I'm taking over a very, very successful team. A T20 world champion. Runner-up in the World Test Championship and runner-up in the ODI World Cup. It's not that it's not a successful team. I have big shoes to fill."

“I think important is to give players the freedom, that's what I absolutely believe in and not having a relationship which is of a head coach and a player. I think for me, the best relationship is a relationship which is built on trust and that is going to be very important. I can promise guys that they will always have my back. I've always said that a happy dressing room is a winning dressing. That's my responsibility alongside the entire support staff to make it a happy and secure dressing room. I don't complicate too many things and neither do I want to complicate.”

India vs Sri Lanka squad

India’s T20I Squad: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Ꮪhubman Gill (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rinku Singh, Riyan Parag, Rishabh Pant (WK), Sanju Samson (WK), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Khaleel Ahmed, Mohd. Siraj. 

India’s ODI Squad: Rohit Sharma (C), Ꮪhubman Gill (VC), Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (WK), Rishabh Pant (WK), Shreyas Iyer, Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Riyan Parag, Axar Patel, Khaleel Ahmed, Harshit Rana.