The new Indian head coach, Gautam Gambhir, had a merry-go-round start in his role for the Indian team, as he went on to win the T20I series in a partnership with Suryakumar Yadav in Sri Lanka before losing the 50-over format despite having the experience of the veteran players in the side under the captaincy of Rohit Sharma, who finished his T20I career winning the T20 World Cup 2024.
Gautam Gambhir replaced the successful Rahul Dravid, the former Indian head coach, on the back of his incredible mentorship for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), which helped the franchise win the third title of the tournament after a wait of 10 years.
The former Indian opening batter was also with the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) team during the 2022 and 2023 seasons of the Indian Premier League, and on both occasions, the KL Rahul side made a successful progression to the playoffs of the tournament.
Ajay Jadeja wants Gautam Gambhir to continue the aggressive approach
One of the highlights of the 2024 season of the tournament was the aggressive and crystal clear approach of Gautam Gambhir, as he engaged to be the top contender for the role. Now, he gears up for his first assignment at home with a two-match Test series over Bangladesh, starting on September 19 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
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Later, the Blue Brigade will turn their attention to New Zealand, who will make a trip to the country for the three red-ball games before the Rohit Sharma-led side goes to Australia for the five-match red-ball series.
The former Indian opening batter, Ajay Jadeja, feels that the Delhi-born never brings any dull moment, in the game, as Gautam Gambhir always looks to find a way in a trying to move the game forward.
“It is very clear, that his (Gambhir) approach is aggressive. One thing is sure, there will never be a dull moment with him around, he will always try something. He will do what he believes.” Jadeja expressed this to the reporters in Kolkata.
“He (Gautam Gambhir) will not be somebody who will sit back and let things flow. He will be out there; he will try things like we saw Suryakumar Yadav becoming captain suddenly. I am looking forward to the excitement we are going to see this year.” The Gujarat-born remarked.
India has done a pretty job at home in the longest format of the game, as they have been unbeaten for more than a decade in the Test matches, having lost their last red-ball series in 2012 against England. The character of the team has changed too in the red-ball games, as under Virat Kohli, they achieved their first series victory in Australia in the 2018/19 season before repeating the same in 2020/21 under the leadership of Ajinkya Rahane.
When asked what advice he would give to the former Indian opening batter, Ajay Jadeja shocked the media, stating that the veteran shouldn’t take any advice or suggestions from anyone.
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“I hope he (Gautam Gambhir) does not take suggestions. The reason why he is there is because of what he did and how he looks at it. I hope he does not take anybody’s advice and change his approach because what has made you who you are is something that you should believe in and stick to. He can always get better.” The 53-year-old concluded.
The biggest challenge for India and the partnership of Rohit and Gambhir would be to make a hat-trick of Test series win down under in the upcoming 2024/25 summer.