Former India pacer Joginder Sharma feels Gautam Gambhir’s tenure as head coach of the team might not be a long one, mainly because of his outspoken nature. Gambhir took over as head coach of the Indian team last month after Rahul Dravid tenure came to an end after the T20 World Cup in June. Under the leadership of Suryakumar Yadav, India defeated Sri Lanka 3-0 in Gambhir’s debut T20I series as head coach. On Friday, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli returned to the side for the ODI series opener, which India drew to Sri Lanka after a thrilling finish.
While Gambhir has been all smiles in the early days of tenure, Joginder, a T20 World Cup-winner with him in 2007, feels that the former India opener won’t be able stay as head coach for a long time.
“Gautam Gambhir team ko sambhalne waala hai lekin par mera ye manna hai ki Gautam Gambhir jyada lambe samay tak tik nahi payega (Gautam Gambhir is the one to manage the team, but I believe that Gautam Gambhir will not be able to stay for a long time),” Joginder said on Shubhankar Mishra’s podcast.
Joginder added that Gambhir’s no-nonsense attitude and outspoken nature could lead to his earlier than expected departure.
“Kyunki Gautam Gambhir ke apne hi kuch faisle hote hain. Ho sakta hai kisi player se man motaaw ho jaye. Mai Virat Kohli ki baat nahi kar raha hun. Gautam Gambhir ke faisle kai baar aise ho jaate hain ki dusro ko pasand nahi aate (This is because Gautam Gambhir has his own decisions. It might happen that he has a disagreement with a player. I am not talking about Virat Kohli. Many times, Gautam Gambhir’s decisions are such that others do not like them),” he added.
Joginder further explained that Gambhir is someone who speaks his heart out and doesn’t believe in boot-licking.
“Gautam Gambhir seedhi baat karne waala hai. Wo kisi ke paas jaane waala nahi hai. Gautam Gambhir chaplusi karne waala banda nahi hai. Usko credit dene waale hum log hain. Wo apna kaam karta hai, sacche dil se karta hai, badi imaandaari se karta hai. (Gautam Gambhir speaks directly. He is not someone who will go to anyone. Gautam Gambhir is not a person who flatters. We are the ones who give him credit. He does his work, does it sincerely, and does it with great honesty),” Joginder further explained.
