Former South African pacer Dale Steyn believes that the Indian team will play an intense brand of cricket under newly appointed head coach Gautam Gambhir. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Secretary Jay Shah announced Gambhir as India’s new head coach on July 9. Gambhir has taken over the helm from Rahul Dravid, who ended his term with a historic T20 World Cup triumph in Barbados. Gambhir will hold the position till December 2027.
Steyn gave a thumbs-up to the BCCI’s decision and recognised himself as ‘big fan’ of Gambhir. According to the former world No. 1 Test bowler, it is Gambhir’s ‘aggression’ that makes him stand out among modern-day coaches.
“I’m a big fan of Gautam Gambhir. I love his aggression; he’s one of the few Indians that I played against that kind of came back at you. I like it. I think he’s going to take it into the dressing room. Not just India, but world cricket needs guys who are a little bit more aggressive and play the game a little bit harder,” Dale Styen said on Star Sports, as quoted by Indian Express.
Drawing a comparison between Gambhir’s on-and-off-field personalities, Steyn said, “We all play in the leagues against each other, and we become quite friendly. I like the way Gambhir is fierce on the field but a gentleman off the field. He’s street-wise and a very smart cricketer. From that point of view, he’s going to be fantastic for the Indian team.”
Another South African legend, Jacques Kallis, was also enthralled to see Gambhir ‘getting into the coaching side of things.’ The ex-Indian opener earlier served as the mentor of two Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises—the Lucknow Super Giants and Kolkata Knight Riders. Under his guidance, KKR even won their third IPL title last season.
Expressing his admiration for Gambhir, Jacques Kallis said, “Great to see Gauti getting into the coaching side of things. He’s got a really good cricket brain. He’ll bring some fire. Loves playing the game aggressively. He’ll bring that added touch, and the guys will learn a lot from him.”
During Gambhir’s tenure, Team India will feature in three ICC tournaments in the white-ball format and can feature in two World Test Championship (WTC) finals in 2025 and 2027. His first major assignment will be the Champions Trophy, scheduled to be held next year.
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