Gautam Gambhir dodged questions about becoming India’s next head coach, and stayed tight-lipped.
Former opener Gautam Gambhir said on Friday he doesn’t “see that far ahead” when asked about his coaching role. Speaking at an Indian Chamber of Commerce event, Gambhir offered vague responses and avoided confirming or denying the speculation. He had a virtual interview with the BCCI’s Cricket Advisory Committee earlier this week and is widely seen as the potential successor to Rahul Dravid, whose tenure ends after the ongoing T20 World Cup in the West Indies.
“I don’t see that far ahead. You are grilling me and asking me all kinds of tough questions. It is difficult to answer right now. All I can say is that I’m happy to be here; I just finished a brilliant journey, and let’s enjoy that. I’m in a very happy space right now,” Gambhir added at the ‘Rise to Leadership’ seminar.
While dodging questions about his future, Gambhir did emphasise his coaching philosophy, which focuses on the team over individuals. “If you have the intent of keeping your team ahead of any individual, things will fall into place. If not today, tomorrow, if not tomorrow, someday it will fall into place. But if you start thinking about that, or if you know that you need to help one or two individuals perform, then your team will only suffer. My job is not to make individuals perform. My job, as a mentor, is to make KKR win,” Gambhir stated, receiving praise for KKR’s success this year.
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“For me, the guru mantra is team-first philosophy. I think team-first ideology and team-first philosophy are the most important ideologies in any team sport,” he added.
Despite occasionally captaining India, Gambhir insisted on treating all team members equally. “In a team sport, it’s the team that matters the most. Individuals do play a role; individuals do contribute. But I think if 11 people are treated equally, if 11 people have equal respect, if everyone is treated equally, given the same respect, the same responsibility, and the same honour, you will achieve an unbelievable amount of success. You cannot have discrimination in a set-up or in an organisation,” Gambhir concluded.
Last Updated on June 21, 2024