“He was a khadoos kind of a player” – Rohit Sharma on India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir

Indian captain Rohit Sharma has reflected on playing with current head coach Gautam Gambhir. Sharma recalled that Gambhir was a khadoos kind of a player in his heydays. Gambhir was known to wear a serious look and meant business while representing the national team.

The former left-hander is known as the man of the big finals. The southpaw scored a match-winning knock of 75 runs in the T20 World Cup final in 2007 against arch-rivals Pakistan. 

Furthermore, he scored another fine knock of 97 runs in the 2011 ODI World Cup final against Sri Lanka and added a crucial alliance with skipper MS Dhoni, who scored an unbeaten 91.

Meanwhile, Gambhir took over the coaching baton from Rahul Dravid, who guided the team to T20 World Cup 2024 glory.

Rohit Sharma said recently, “We have seen a change in coaching. Earlier, Rahul bhai was there. Now, Gautam Gambhir is our coach. He was a khadoos (stubborn) kind of a player. He played some great innings in tough matches.”

On the other hand, former Bangladesh opener Tamim Iqbal reckons Gautam Gambhir’s character will be tested when India has a difficult time in future tournaments.

“When you’re winning, you don’t know the real character of the man. It’s only when you lose a series, then you lose another, that the real character comes out. No doubt, he is a capable man, but it’s too early. Let India have a bad game, then we will see what comes out,” Tamim was quoted as telling JioCinema.

Under Gambhir’s tutelage, India won the T20I series against Sri Lanka by 3-0 but lost the ODI series by 2-0. India also won the opening Test match against Bangladesh by 280 runs but the second Test is heading towards a draw because of continuous rain in Kanpur.