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Dinesh Karthik has expressed his thoughts on Gautam Gambhir stepping into the role of head coach for Team India, following Rahul Dravid’s tenure. Gambhir, the former India opener, recently took over from Dravid, who had a successful stint culminating in India’s T20 World Cup triumph last month.
Reflecting on Dravid’s impactful leadership which saw India excel across all formats, including victories in the Asia Cup and notable appearances in the ODI and Test World Cup finals, Karthik acknowledged Gambhir’s new responsibility. Gambhir, renowned for his cricketing acumen, faces the challenge of steering the national team, marking his debut as a head coach.
Karthik, drawing from his experience under Gambhir’s captaincy at Delhi Capitals (formerly Delhi Daredevils), highlighted Gambhir’s tactical prowess and expressed confidence in his ability to deliver as India’s head coach. As the cricketing world awaits the unfolding of Gambhir’s coaching era, Karthik remains optimistic about Gambhir’s potential to guide Team India effectively in the days ahead.
“First of all, when I played for Delhi Daredevils in the early years, it started with Sehwag being the captain, but year three it was Gautam Gambhir. He was a very good captain, tactically very astute and I was the vice-captain under him,” said Dinesh Karthik on Cricbuzz.
He’s a very good leader: Dinesh Karthik
Expanding on the topic, Dinesh Karthik discussed the impact Gautam Gambhir is expected to have in the Indian dressing room. Karthik emphasized Gambhir’s reputation as someone who connects well with players, describing him as a players’ advocate whose presence will greatly benefit the team dynamics. Karthik also highlighted Gambhir’s tactical acumen, noting that his strategic insights would add a sharp edge to the Indian team’s approach on the field.
“He’s a very good leader. I think he will bring two things to the Indian team. One, the fact that he’s a complete players’ man,” said Karthik.
“He protects his players and that’s very important in international cricket because at times you can feel lonely or deserted in international cricket when performances don’t go your way.
So, Gambhir is going to do that, and number two, he’ll definitely bring a clever tactical angle to this Indian team. Very fierce, intense guy and I always like playing for the team and did whatever it took to win a game of cricket,” added Karthik.
Meanwhile, Gautam Gambhir’s stint as India’s coach is set to commence later this month during the upcoming tour of Sri Lanka. The Indian team is slated to engage in a series comprising three T20Is and an equal number of ODIs against the Sri Lankan side.
