Aakash Chopra has revealed that he and Gautam Gambhir were not friends, but rivals. Aakash Chopra stated that the Delhi squad was powerful at the time, and players like himself and Gautam Gambhir had to compete for a spot in the playing XI.
Gambhir replaced Rahul Dravid, who ended his coaching career on a high note after leading the team to a historic T20 World Cup victory in June. Gambhir had a mixed start as a coach on the Sri Lanka tour. The Men in Blue won the T20I series 3-0 but were defeated 0-2 in the subsequent ODI series.
Aakash Chopra emphasized Gautam Gambhir’s intense appetite and anger. Chopra also stated that there was no room for Virender Sehwag to open the innings. He stated that Sehwag batted at number four to accommodate either Shikhar Dhawan or Virat Kohli.
“We are competitors because we were fighting for one place. Our team was very good. When we were playing, only one of Kohli and Dhawan got the chance to play. The team was like that. There was no place for even Viru to open the batting. Viru batted four so that we can accommodate one of Shikhar and Virat at 3,” recalled Chopra in a podcast with Raj Shamani on YouTube.
When asked about his early days with Gautam Gambhir, Aakash Chopra was not particularly diplomatic. He frankly confessed that they were not buddies at the start of their careers.
“We were competitors to begin with. He wasn’t a friend, to be honest. (But he was a) very passionate guy, very hard-working, and very serious about his craft. And he scored a lot of runs. But he always wore his heart on the sleeve, was extremely passionate, and could short-fuse very quickly in terms of temperament,” said Chopra further.
Aakash Chopra played 10 Tests for India from 2003-04 and scored 437 runs with 2 fifties to his name. In 162 FC matches, Chopra made 10839 runs with 29 centuries and a best score of 301* at an average of 45.35.
Gautam Gambhir was born with a golden spoon: Aakash Chopra
On the other hand, Gautam Gambhir had a notable career for India. Having made his India debut in 2003, Gambhir went on to play 58 Tests, 147 ODIs, and 37 T20Is. Gambhir also played prime roles in India’s 2007 T20 World Cup and 2011 ICC World Cup wins.
Gambhir scored 4154 Test, 5238 ODI, and 932 T20i runs with a total of 20 centuries. In First Class, Gambhir made 15153 runs in 198 matches with 43 centuries and a best of 233*.
Aakash Chopra praised Gambhir’s unwavering “passion” as a young cricketer, noting that it stood out despite his wealthy surroundings. Gambhir came from an affluent family and did not require cricket for financial stability, but his dedication to the game was intense, according to Chopra.
“He’s a good-hearted guy, comes from a very affluent family. For that kid to have that kind of passion… he would be on the ground the whole day. He was born with a golden spoon, not even silver. It’s a different journey, basically like Abhinav Bindra. Gautam has the heart at the right place,” said Chopra.
Gautam Gambhir will be in charge as India takes on Bangladesh in a series of 2 Tests and 3 T20Is starting September 19.
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