Under Gautam Gambhir, the head Coach of the Indian cricket team, begins a new era of Test cricket. The rapport between him and Rohit Sharma will be in focus. Under Rahul Dravid’s guidance he became skipper and helped to end India’s 13-year wait of being crowned world champions in any format as well. Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar feels that whether there is a good relationship today or not can be judged from their playing XI selection.
Citing examples like Virat Kohli – Ravi Shastri and Rohit Sharma – Rahul Dravid, Manjrekar emphasised how chemistry matters between captain and coach for teams’ success.
“It was very clear that Rohit and Rahul clicked together. When Virat and Ravi were there, some of the decisions, especially while picking the playing XI gave you an idea of how much influence the coach had on the captain. I think you will start getting an idea about their dynamics with the selections that they make, not so much the results,” Manjrekar said on ESPNCricinfo.
Regarding Gambhir, as the head coach of the unit, Manjrekar believes that he would alter his methods and mannerisms a bit compared to what the world has seen in him as an observer.
Gambhir is a person I have known for four years now. He sees the game really well and can get down to business with Indian cricket without getting too emotional. I have always believed that a coach is only as good as their team—this could not be truer of Indian cricket at present which must be allowed to continue in its greatness. We only see part of Gambhir’s persona on television and it would not surprise me one bit if he shifted gears when behind closed doors near him,” said the cricketer turned commentator.
