Gautam Gambhir breaks silence on India coach job, says "Don't See..."
PTC News Desk: Gautam Gambhir, the former opener for India, dodged questions on Friday about whether he would be the team's next head coach by stating that he doesn't "see that far ahead" but did share some highlights of his "team first ideology"-based coaching philosophy.
Speaking at an event hosted by the Indian Chamber of Commerce was Gambhir. He was viewed as India's future head coach when current coach Rahul Dravid's term ends after the current T20 World Cup in the West Indies, having participated in a virtual interview with the BCCI's Cricket Advisory Committee earlier this week. But when questioned, Gambhir, who recently served as team mentor and was instrumental in KKR's third IPL championship victory, was silent.
"I can't see that far in front of me. You keep asking me difficult questions and questioning me," he remarked.
"At this moment, it is challenging to respond. All I can say is that I'm glad to be here and that we've just completed an amazing adventure. Let's celebrate that. At this 'Rise To Leadership' session, Gambhir declared, 'I'm in a very good space right now.
Gambhir stated that the cornerstone of his coaching style is prioritizing the team over the individual.
"Things will fall into place if your goal is to keep your team ahead of any individual. If not now, then tomorrow, and if that doesn't work out, then someday," he remarked.
"But if you start thinking on that, or if you know that you need to help one or two individuals perform, then your team will only suffer." "I don't work to force them to perform. "My role as a mentor is to ensure that KKR wins," stated Gambhir, who received widespread recognition for his contribution to KKR's successful season.
"The team first mentality is, in my opinion, the guru mantra. The most crucial ideology in any team sport, in my opinion, is team-first ideology or team-first philosophy," he continued.
In the KKR camp, which enjoyed an almost flawless season this year, Gambhir claimed that every player was a leader.
"Yes, I was in charge, but the modification was made by all of us in the changing room. It was about bringing pride to Kolkata. Giving something back to Kolkata felt morally right for me," he stated.
Nonetheless, the former cricket player, who has held the captaincy of India on a few occasions, stated that his philosophy is to treat every player on a team fairly.
"The team is the most important thing in a team sport. People do contribute, they do have a part to play," he stated.
"However, I believe that you will succeed to an incredible degree if eleven people are treated similarly, eleven people are respected equally, and everyone is treated equally, given the same respect, duty, and honor.
"You cannot have discrimination in a set up or in an organisation," he stated.
The 42-year-old, though, was not disappointed that he was unable to lead India for an extended period of time.
Since the final year of my training career, I have always considered giving a performance for the audience. I was given the privilege of captaining India for six games in the midst. To the best of my ability, I attempted to accomplish it," he stated.
"Apart from that, I don't regret anything because I wasn't supposed to lead the series. My responsibility was to win for my country and the squad I play for, he continued.
Still, he harbors one regret. "I wish I had finished that game," he remarked, alluding to the World Cup final of 2011 in which Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the captain at the time, struck the decisive runs.
"Rather than letting someone else finish the game, it was my responsibility to do so. No matter how many runs I scored, if I could go back in time, I would score the final run there," the left-hander, who amassed 97 runs in that thrilling match against Sri Lanka at the Wankhede Stadium, continued.
- With inputs from agencies
