New Delhi. Did Gautam Gambhir start preparing to become the Indian coach before IPL 2024 started? This is being said because the first things that come to mind when Gambhir is mentioned are his being the top scorer in the World Cup final, making KKR the IPL champion and clashing with someone on the field from Shahid Afridi to Virat Kohli. Yes, the analysis of Gambhir’s career is not complete without controversy. But if you talk about IPL 2024, then this time there is no controversy in Gambhir’s name. For the first time, no matter how much heat there was inside the field, Gautam remained ‘Gambhir’ in the dugout.
The journey from Lucknow to Kolkata changed a lot
When Gautam Gambhir returned to Kolkata Knight Riders, he not only gave a new approach to the team, but he himself also looked completely changed. Let’s talk about a year ago, not too long ago. When Gambhir was the mentor of Lucknow Supergiants in IPL 2023, a controversy broke out during the match against Royal Challengers Bangalore. There was a spat between Lucknow’s Afghan pacer Naveen Ul Haq and RCB’s Virat Kohli during the match. Gambhir, who was sitting outside, lost his temper on this fight between the two players. When the match ended, he moved towards Virat Kohli in a very angry mood. It was good that the fellow players pulled Gambhir away and the controversy was saved from escalating.
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Gambhir dropped under Dhoni’s captaincy
And this is not all. Gambhir has allegedly shown the middle finger to those who chanted Kohli-Kohli slogans. Whenever the World Cup 2011 and Dhoni were mentioned, Gambhir always lodged his complaint. He kept saying at every stage that one person was made bigger than the team. Incidentally, Gambhir’s career also declined under Dhoni’s captaincy. After this, when he tried to make a comeback, the captain was Virat Kohli. His attempt to make a comeback failed and in the end he had to retire in disappointment. A large section of cricket fans still believe that this is also one of the reasons for Gambhir’s criticism of Dhoni and Virat, which he can never accept.
Media was not given any spice on Rana issue
Well, the Gambhir who can fight with his teammate for the Afghan pacer from Lucknow, comes to KKR and sits calmly in the dugout. It is not that there was no such thing that happened during his stay in KKR, which was not enough to provoke Gambhir. Even the fine imposed on Harshit Rana for giving a flying kiss as a sendoff would have been enough to provoke the ‘old Gambhir’. But after returning to KKR, Gambhir did not give any such reaction on this matter, which would have provided fodder to the media.
Cleared old misunderstandings
But it is not just that Gautam Gambhir has controlled his reactions. He no longer reacts to the heat on the field, but waits for the match to end and the result to come. Not only this, by hugging Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni, Gauti has also healed those wounds which the world was always desperate to dig up. After getting a hug from Gauti, Kohli also says that this has reduced the spice that some people look for on and off the field.
Gautam Gambhir with Rohit Sharma. (AFP)
Image changed within a year
There is no doubt that this one year has brought about a lot of change in Gambhir’s image. On one hand, he proved himself to be an excellent mentor by making KKR the champion again, and on the other hand, he has opened his doors for Team India by ‘befriending’ a current star like Virat Kohli. Cricket lovers know that now Indian cricket is in that phase where even the coach is appointed only with the consent of the captain. We all have seen how the board could not retain Anil Kumble as the coach even when the committee of Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman had agreed to it. The disagreement of the then captain Virat Kohli outweighed the consent of all these. In such a situation, it would be a mistake to assume that Rohit Sharma will not be consulted while selecting the new coach of the Indian team. From the trollers who propagate the different factions of Virat and Rohit in Team India to cricket experts, everyone knows very well how much these two legends of the Indian team support each other when needed. Obviously, Gautam Gambhir has hit multiple targets with one arrow by making KKR win the title as a mentor. And this did not happen suddenly. Gautam had already made serious preparations for this.
The application date for the Indian coach has ended. However, BCCI has not yet disclosed who all have applied for this post. But believe me, no matter how many people have applied, there will be no more serious applicant than Gautam.
Tags: Gautam Gambhir, Indian Cricket Team, IPL 2024, Kolkata Knight Riders, Team India
FIRST PUBLISHED : May 28, 2024, 18:37 IST