Coaches in Indian cricket have evolved from being the pure amateur to the professional individual signing water-tight lucrative contracts. However, much before the current incumbent Gautam Gambhir occupied the hot seat, the scenario was starkly different. When Kapil Dev’s men won the 1983 World Cup at Lord’s, the manager, P.R. Man Singh, was the handyman doing everything. Thankfully, the winds of change and commercial heft meant that mentorship was seen as an essential tool for the national squad.
From hiring former stars like Kapil to picking overseas experts including John Wright, the dressing room changed. At times the experience soured too as reflected in the spat between coach Greg Chappell and captain Sourav Ganguly. Finally, ideal teachers were sourced from within the Indian set-up and the last decade has featured Anil Kumble, Ravi Shastri and Rahul Dravid. Gambhir is the latest in this mix.
Dealing with many individuals is never easy and coaching demands a lot from the practitioners of this empathetic role. At 42, Gambhir strides in as a gritty former India opener with crucial Test runs (4,154) and some riveting performances in limited overs cricket. When India won the inaugural ICC Twenty20 in South Africa in 2007, and the ICC 2011 World Cup in Mumbai, it was Gambhir who top-scored with 75 and 97, respectively.
There is no mistaking Gambhir’s inherent quality. Equally, he was known for his extreme intensity, an attribute in which he was perhaps closest to Dravid and Kumble. Gambhir looked grim, hustled the runs, wasn’t averse to either attack or eternally defend like once he did in New Zealand to save a Test.
He was a left-hander more in the tough Allan Border mode, not for him the languid aesthetics of a David Gower. Never averse to having a verbal duel with a rival, Gambhir was at his best when pushed to a corner. Often asked about the lack of an effervescent smile, Gambhir would say he is out there to win matches and may be a smile can go missing.
It has never been easy for Gambhir. In the Delhi unit, he had to jostle with Virender Sehwag, Aakash Chopra and later Shikhar Dhawan for the opener’s slot. When he turned up for India, the star batters were Sachin Tendulkar, Dravid, Sehwag, Ganguly, V.V.S. Laxman, Yuvraj Singh and later M.S. Dhoni before Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma made their mark.
Team first
Yet, till his 2016 fadeout from national colours, Gambhir was a steady presence from 2004. After 2011, his appearances were erratic. It wasn’t that Gambhir suddenly lost his skills, but the runs dried and perhaps it hurt him that in the captaincy zone, Dhoni was always the preferred choice.
A fiercely proud man, Gambhir revealed the odd petulant streak when he said one shot did not win the World Cup. It was presumed that the reference was to Dhoni’s winning six in the 2011 final against Sri Lanka. In Gambhir’s defence, he always had this team-first philosophy and was averse to personality cults. His simmering anger also found an outlet against a floundering Delhi District Cricket Association.
Gambhir’s legacy went beyond national duty as he remains an icon in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Leading Kolkata Knight Riders to title triumphs both as a skipper and now as a mentor, the diminutive opener carved a massive footprint. There is also a perception-issue that shadows Gambhir, since in his earlier tenure as BJP MP, he got into needless slanging matches with Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
Some of the tweets were in poor taste. Equally, Gambhir’s clashes with Kohli in the IPL offered fodder for fresh controversies. The two have to forge a fresh bond as they link arms once again. Critically for Gambhir, he also has to prepare India for a time when Rohit, Kohli, R. Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, to name a few, would be in their post-retirement phase.
The stormy petrel has to mellow and offer a gentle hand on a drooping shoulder. Most of his peers believe that he can deliver on that count while the Indian team gets a taste of his guidance during their current tour of Sri Lanka.
