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Legendary Australian captain Ricky Ponting sees a parallel between Pakistan’s new Test head coach, Jason Gillespie, and Gautam Gambhir. Ponting is confident that Gillespie will be instrumental in unlocking the full potential of Pakistan’s players during his term.
Gautam Gambhir has recently embarked on his coaching career with India, starting with their tour of Sri Lanka. While India secured the T20I series, they faced a challenging defeat in the ODI series.
In contrast, Gillespie is poised to start his role as Pakistan’s red-ball coach with the upcoming home series against Bangladesh. This series, featuring two Test matches, will take place in Rawalpindi and Karachi.
Ricky Ponting believes Jason Gillespie is akin to Gautam Gambhir in the coaching realm.
In a conversation with The ICC Review, Ricky Ponting highlighted Jason Gillespie’s commendable coaching track record and expressed strong confidence in his ability to excel. Ponting believes that Gillespie is well-positioned to bring out the best in Pakistan’s players.
“Jason Gillespie is a bit like (Gautam) Gambhir. Pretty much everywhere he has been, his coaching record has been very very good. He will have some challenges I got no doubt about it. But he is a deep thinker and as I said, a quiet person that goes about it in his own way,” Ponting stated.
Gautam Gambhir boasts an impressive coaching track record and is renowned for his ability to maximize his players’ potential. The former India opener was instrumental in India’s victories at the 2007 T20 World Cup and the 2011 ODI World Cup, where he was the top scorer in the finals of both tournaments, securing the titles for his team.
Most recently, Gambhir served as the mentor for Kolkata Knight Riders, playing a crucial role in their IPL 2024 championship win. He also captained KKR to IPL titles in 2012 and 2014.
Ricky Ponting is not surprised by the recent changes in Pakistan’s Test team.
Ponting was not taken aback by the significant changes in Pakistan’s squad for the Test series against Bangladesh. He emphasized that such alterations are sometimes essential to achieve the desired outcomes.
“We’ve got a few WhatsApp groups over the years, all of us old guys that have played together. So everyone’s congratulated him (Jason Gillespie) and wished him luck in that role,” Ponting said
And look, to be honest, I am not surprised at all by the amount of changes in that group. I know it is a different format but they had a very disappointing T20 World Cup. If you are not willing to make some changes, you’re expecting similar results to come your way,” the former Australia batter added.
Jason Gillespie’s background as a coach
Jason Gillespie brings a wealth of global coaching experience to his role with Pakistan. The former Australian fast bowler has worked with Zimbabwe’s domestic teams and served as a bowling coach for the IPL franchise Kings XI Punjab.
In addition, Gillespie has held the position of head coach for the Adelaide Strikers in the Big Bash League and has contributed to Sussex in the County Championship. In 2020, he was appointed head coach of South Australia in the Australian domestic circuit.
Now, with his appointment as Pakistan’s international head coach, Gillespie embarks on his first role at this level, aiming to make a strong impression from the start.
