Quick Comment: Coach Gautam Gambhir’s challenge will be to manage egos and insecurities

What was expected for more than a month was finally confirmed on Tuesday when Gautam Gambhir was announced as the head coach of Team India. A gritty left-handed opener, who was once ranked the best Test batsman, Gambhir has tasted success both as a captain and mentor in IPL. That has hastened his appointment to the most high-profile and high-pressure coaching job in world cricket, but Gambhir seems to have all the credentials to succeed in his new job.

“I’m honoured to be back, albeit wearing a different hat. But my goal is the same as it has always been, to make every Indian proud,” he posted on X.

Gambhir was an active player till a few years ago, and has shared a dressing room with some of the senior players still in the team. He has had a history of confrontation and conflict with some of the cricketers – the name of Virat Kohli comes to mind – and Gambhir would do well to keep his personal likes and dislikes aside while guiding the Indian team.

India is my identity and serving my country has been the greatest privilege of my life. I’m honoured to be back, albeit wearing a different hat. But my goal is the same as it has always been, to make every Indian proud. The men in blue shoulder the dreams of 1.4 billion Indians… pic.twitter.com/N5YyyrhXAI

— Gautam Gambhir (@GautamGambhir) July 9, 2024

He is taking up the job when Indian cricket is in a bullish mood, having just won the T20 World Cup. But the atmosphere will not take much time to take a turn if initial results in his tenure don’t go as desired. This is where the head coach needs to keep calm and keep the team in a good headspace. Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid had a very fruitful relationship, in which the latter largely stayed in the background and let the players take the plaudits. A similar arrangement is likely to bear fruit with Gambhir as well.

Helming a national team full of superstars is a lot different from being in charge of a franchise made up of players from various countries. Managing egos and insecurities is as important as the technical and tactical aspects of the game. Gambhir will have to take everyone together to make India a dominant force in world cricket.

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