Batting for continuity? For head coach Gautam Gambhir, it's all about the result
New Delhi:
Moments after India pulled off a miraculous draw in the fourth Test in Manchester last month, head coach
Gautam Gambhir
turned up at the press conference in his usual feisty avatar. It was the only Test during the two-month long tour in which India had been trailing England for almost four days.
Gambhir wasn't merely there to express his glee or relief.
He was there to reiterate that those who doubted his strategies weren't clued in. The coach feeds off the challenges thrown at him. In coming back from England with a 2-2 scoreline, he has been vindicated for some of the tough calls he took.
The next six months, starting with the Asia Cup in UAE next month, will be the first time Gambhir will truly get to work on the T20I team for a period of time. Yet, the current T20I side is more his baby. His stint as India's head coach started with
Suryakumar Yadav
being propelled to T20I captaincy ahead of
Hardik Pandya
.
With Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli already retired from the format at the start of his stint, he could seamlessly drive home his philosophy in the dressing room. It didn't matter if India were the new T20I world champions.
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'T20 World Cup, T20 side for India should be selected from IPL,' Gambhir said on former India off-spinner
Ravichandran Ashwin
's YouTube channel just before assuming the role with the Indian team. Gambhir isn't looking to rock the boat.
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But by now, it has been well established that he doesn't mind dragging established names out of their comfort zones. He is rarely inhibited while giving more responsibility to unheralded cricketers — be it Suryakumar Yadav and Manish Pandey at KKR in 2014 or backing Ayush Badoni at Lucknow Super Giants.
Much of Washington Sundar's evolution as a Test allrounder is down to Gambhir's unwavering backing. Gambhir swears by continuity.
Despite all the talk of flexibility, he seeks stability at the top. The chatter in Indian cricket is that he would prefer an all format captain soon to build a common culture. Gambhir has been very clear with his vision. He walked in with an idea to rebrand the T20 team. India have often been accused of not being able to move with the times in the shortest format.
Gambhir has decided to address it with players who can be branded as T20 specialists.
He doesn't mind if the pool swelled. That's why Ramandeep Singh and Mayank Yadav were given their opportunities last year. India's attacking brand of T20 cricket over the last 12 months is proof enough of how the Delhi man wants to go about his job.
Poll
Do you believe Gautam Gambhir's strategies will lead India to success in T20 cricket?
Yes, absolutely
No, I have doubts
Maybe, it depends on execution
I need more time to decide
This is the format that brought him recognition as a tactician. He won two IPL titles with KKR as a captain more than a decade ago before returning as a mentor in 2024 and delivering their third.
He also stands out, being quite bullish about 'results' rather than process. Those who share the dressing room with Gambhir say that the coach loves breaking the game up into 120 balls rather than looking at it as a 20-over entity.
'Every ball has to have an impact' is his go-to phrase.
There's no room for getting comfortable. Roles are assigned as per skills, not batting numbers. He is comfortable with this facet of a modern-day T20 cricketer.
Shivam Dube, for one, will always get preference since he can go up the order and blast the bowling if the openers get off to great starts. There are no designated finishers.
Gambhir's inclination towards having allrounders stems from the need to have more options. The Asia Cup may give us a glimpse of how he wants to go about his business in the next few months, but nothing is cast in stone yet. With the success in Champions Trophy and England, things have started to fall in place for Gambhir. Till the transition button is pressed in ODIs, it won't be surprising to see a few unexpected moves in T20 cricket.
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