Gautam Gambhir is known for wearing his heart on his sleeve, a trait that has remained unchanged since his early cricketing days. Gautam Gambhir, Team India’s head coach, has always been known for wearing his heart on his sleeve, an attribute that defined both his playing days and his approach as a commentator.
With Gautam Gambhir stepping into the coaching role following Rahul Dravid’s departure, there’s a distinct shift in the Indian dressing room’s dynamic. While Dravid was celebrated for his composed demeanor and diplomatic nature, Gambhir’s fiery personality will bring a new aspect to coaching.
Aakash Chopra sheds light on Gautam Gambhir’s vision.
Former cricketer Aakash Chopra has recalled an incident when Gautam Gambhir, head of the Indian team, fought with a truck driver. Chopra said that Gambhir’s passion was visible even when he was playing for the Delhi state team. During a recent interaction, Chopra opened up on his bond with Gambhir and recalled some of the incidents from the dressing room in Delhi.
While suggesting that Gautam Gambhir’s aggression is what makes him different from other cricketers, Chopra also recalled an incident when the current team India head coach fought with a truck driver and grabbed his collar.
Gautam Gambhir’s on-field confrontations are well-documented, with the most talked-about being his clashes with Virat Kohli during his stint as a player for Kolkata Knight Riders and later as the coach of Lucknow Super Giants. Despite the heated history, both players, who share a deep-rooted connection from their early days playing together for Delhi, made headlines when they reconciled during the 2024 IPL season
Fans welcomed the truce, especially as Gautam Gambhir and Kohli found themselves working together in the Indian dressing room. In a recent podcast with YouTuber Raj Shamani, former India opener Aakash Chopra shared an intriguing anecdote from Gautam Gambhir’s early days in cricket that sheds light on the aggressive temperament he displayed even back then.
Having shared the dressing room with Gambhir for Delhi, Chopra often found competing for the same opening spot with Gambhir in the playing XI; while Gambhir’s career took off, leading to a celebrated stint with the national team, Chopra could never secure a long-term spot, managing just 10 Test appearances.
Aakash Chopra opens up on his competition with Indian coach Gautam Gambhir
Former Indian opener Aakash Chopra admitted that he and current Team India coach Gautam Gambhir were competitors during their playing careers in the 2000s. Playing for a strong Delhi side, the duo often battled for one spot at the top of the order.
Even for India, Chopra opened the batting in Tests with Virender Sehwag from 2003 to 2004 before Gambhir replaced him.
Speaking on a YouTube podcast with Raj Shamani, Chopra opened up about Gambhir as quoted by Hindustan Times:
“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.”
He added:
“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. In fact, 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.”
While Chopra played only 10 Tests for India, Gambhir enjoyed a more decorated international career. The southpaw scored over 10,000 runs across formats and was an integral part of the Indian 2007 T20 and 2011 ODI World Cup winning sides
Gautam Gambhir is a kind hearted guy from an affluent family
Aakash Chopra hailed Gautam Gambhir for his unwavering passion towards the game despite coming from an affluent family.
Gautam Gambhir was appointed Team India head coach recently and completed his first assignment in their white-ball tour of Sri Lanka. While the Men in Blue won the T20Is 3-0, they suffered a 0-2 defeat in the ODIs.
“He’s a good hearted guy, comes from a very affluent family. For that kid to have that kind of passion… he would be at 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’s first home assignment will be the upcoming two-match Test series against Bangladesh, starting in Chennai on September 19. After a mixed result in his maiden series as head coach – where India defeated Sri Lanka 3-0 in T20Is and lost 0-2 in ODIs – attention has shifted to the home season, which begins on September 19. India will face Bangladesh in the first of two Tests in Chennai, which will also mark the side’s return to red-ball cricket for the first time since March earlier this year.