As the new-look Indian team gears up for their upcoming white-ball series against Sri Lanka, all eyes are set on the newly appointed head coach Gautam Gambhir, who took over the post after the departure of T20 World Cup-winning coach Rahul Dravid.
Known for his aggression and his spirited nature of leadership, Gambhir found success in the IPL recently, mentoring his beloved Kolkata Knight Riders to a successful trophy-winning season.
But, now it’s time for him to go international, and India’s white-ball vice-captian Shubman Gill came to his support, stating that the 2011 World Cup-winners leadership in the camps has been sharp with crystal clear communication.
“We have had just two net sessions so far, and this is my first time of working with him (Gambhir). But in the two sessions, the things he has spoken to me, what I found out is that his intent and communication is very clear – like what he wants out of the players and in us going about our business, his communication remains very clear,” said Gill to reporters.
Much was said about making Gill, who captained India to a 4-1 T20I series win in Zimbabwe, the new vice-captain for the Sri Lanka tour. But, for the opener, it does not change his responsibilties as a batter one bit, but rather pushes him to become better.
“As a batter, it doesn’t change much. When I am batting out there, I still need to perform and need to be able to win matches for my team and my country – that doesn’t change. But when you are on the field, you need to make a bit more decisions than any other player, which is a major difference.”
“My performance in T20Is before this year’s T20 World Cup didn’t go well as per my expectations. Hopefully, going forward in this cycle, where we would be playing 30 to 40 T20 games, the endeavour will be to get better as a batter, and also in terms of team performance.”
The batter also credited the mutual understanding that he had built with his new T20I captain, Suryakumar Yadav, as a factor that drives him to aim higher and achieve more success with the Indian team.
“The way of thinking and manner of doing things is almost the same in every player. I did play under Surya bhai in the T20Is in South Africa last year, so the understanding and communication between the two of us are very similar. It’s something you will get to see in the matches too.”
The first T20I of the three-match series between India and Sri Lanka takes place on Friday, which will also mark the beginning of Gautam Gambir’s stint as the side’s head coach.
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