(Source X)
Russel Arnold recently shared his thoughts on Gautam Gambhir’s new role as the head coach of the Indian men’s cricket team. According to Arnold, Indian cricketers may need some time to adapt to Gambhir’s coaching methods.
Gautam Gambhir has taken charge as the head coach of the Indian men’s cricket team across all formats, starting with the upcoming series against Sri Lanka. The team will face Sri Lanka in a series comprising three T20Is followed by three ODIs.
Rahul Dravid, who coached the Indian cricket team from November 2021 until the conclusion of the 2024 T20 World Cup, ended his tenure on a high note with a victory against South Africa in the final match. Under Dravid’s guidance, India achieved runner-up positions in both the World Test Championship and the 2023 ODI World Cup.
In an interview with News 18, Russel Arnold expressed confidence in Gautam Gambhir’s ability to lead and mentor the Indian cricket team effectively. Arnold emphasized that Gambhir possesses the skills to manage players well and steer them towards success. According to Arnold, Gambhir’s coaching style will motivate players to strive for continuous improvement and uphold rigorous performance standards.
“So sometimes players, when we play, we are able to go out there and perform, but then it becomes a challenge to get a message across, and get others to perform, which Gautam Gambhir has shown that he can do. We definitely know it’s going to be a different style,” Arnold told the website.
“There’ll be a bit of adjustment for people to come to terms with Gautam Gambhir, but I think the change is also good because then you become too familiar with one system and hence they’ll be shaken up, maybe even woken up that you still need to get better and you still need to perform a lot more,” he concluded.
While Gautam Gambhir may not have extensive experience as a head coach in competitive cricket, his role as a mentor in the IPL speaks volumes. The 42-year-old played a pivotal role in guiding the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to their third IPL title. Additionally, his mentoring stint with the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) saw the team making playoffs in two consecutive seasons, highlighting his impactful leadership beyond the playing field.
Suryakumar Yadav has assumed the T20I captaincy from Rohit Sharma. He and Gautam Gambhir were former teammates at Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). During a pre-match press conference, Suryakumar mentioned that despite moving to different IPL teams in 2018, they have maintained ongoing discussions about the game.
“Our bond has always been special. From 2014 till now, it has been exactly 10 years. In 2018, I joined another [IPL] franchise and he joined another franchise. But we used to talk regularly about the game. When he used to play with another team, I used to play with him. We used to discuss the game to see if we could do better in that match,” Suryakumar said.
The inaugural T20I of the three-game series is scheduled for Saturday, July 27th, at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium. Subsequent matches will follow at the same venue on July 28th and July 30th. Post the T20Is, India will engage Sri Lanka in a series of three ODIs, slated from August 2nd to August 7th.
