Gautam Gambhir is one of the most underrated players of his generation. Despite making significant contributions in the inaugural ICC T20 World Cup in 2007 and the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup, the former opener seldom gets the credit he deserves.
Despite being a great player in his own right, Gambhir‘s name often flies under the radar among some of his compatriots like Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and Rahul Dravid. Only recently, Gambhir has managed to step out of the shadow of his counterparts and earn the plaudits he rightly deserves. It started in 2012 when he led the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to their maiden IPL title as captain. He then went on to do an encore with the side in 2014. In the process, his winning mentality rubbed off on the team.
Later, after calling time on his playing career, the southpaw decided to venture into coaching, which was a big decision. It meant that the now 42-year-old could impart his tactical knowledge and insight to the current batch of cricketers and they could imbibe his winning mentality.
In his new role as coach and a mentor to teams, Gambhir proved his mettle instantly as he led the Lucknow Supergiants to the eliminator in their debut IPL season. This made the world sit up and take notice of Gambhir’s abilities as a coach and a mentor, following which KKR decided to rehire him for the recently concluded IPL season.
The man from Delhi picked up from where he had left off in 2014, leading KKR to their first IPL title in 10 years. All this while playing a swashbuckling and entertaining brand of cricket that kept the fans on the edge of their seats. His tactics included restoring Sunil Narine to the top of the KKR batting order and sticking with Mitchell Starc despite a few underwhelming performances during the tournament’s opening stages.
But the biggest takeaway from Gambhir’s stint as a coach and a mentor to date is his winning mentality. The man knows what it takes to win big tournaments and the three IPL trophies to his name so far are a testament to that. Since last winning an ICC Trophy in 2013, the Indian cricket team has developed a habit of choking in the big moments after getting to the final stages of tournaments. To break this pattern, the Indian team needs someone who knows what it takes to keep a cool head and deliver in the big moments. And this is exactly what Gambhir will bring to the table and what makes him an ideal candidate to be India’s next coach.
