He wants to win desperately – Jonty Rhodes lauds Gautam Gambhir as a mentor

Former South African batter Jonty Rhodes observed Gautam Gambhir from close quarters while working with him for the Lucknow Super Giants in the Indian Premier League. Gambhir shifted his base to Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2024 after mentoring LSG for two seasons, taking the KL Rahul-led team to playoffs on both occasions.

Gambhir has now taken over the coaching baton of the Indian team and Rhodes shed light on the former Indian opener’s winning mindset. 

Meanwhile, Gambhir is known for his serious look, especially while sitting in the dugouts. Rhodes revealed that Gambhir does smile but behind the cameras.

Jonty Rhodes said on the sidelines of Pro Cricket League pre-launch, “He actually does, amazingly enough. But not in the dugouts. Not at all. But that is important, because you can’t have a coach who smiles when you take a wicket and then frowns when you drop a catch. You know, so that that sort of consistency, if it’s the GG deadpan look, then you would rather have that sort of consistency. But yeah, he’s certainly in the team environment off the field. He’s certainly someone who is happy to smile.”

Rhodes lauded Gambhir for getting the best out of his players and added the former left-hander is not going to be lenient with a player unless it is required.

“I know how passionate he is. You know, he looks for excellence on and off the field, but he doesn’t expect players to do something that he never did or he won’t do. So, I think from that point of view, he’s somebody who’s not gonna be lenient with anybody unless it’s required because he’s expecting. He just wants excellence. I mean, he wants the team to win, and it’s not for his record or for what he can achieve,” said Rhodes during the same interaction.

“Every team that he’s involved in, he’s wanted to win desperately, and you see the way that he bats, the way that he captains. He’s so passionate, so involved in the game. I think any time there’s a change, whether it be the leadership from a captaincy point of view or from a coach and management, it’s going to take an adjustment. So you know, once they find their feet, we know India has the strength and the talent pool and the depth of talent to certainly allow him to hit the ground and pick up speed very quickly in his coaching career.”

Under Gambhir, India won the T20I series by 3-0 against Sri Lanka but lost the ODI series by 2-0.