NEW DELHI: The template has been set. The character has been written. Now it’s a query of head coach Gautam Gambhir‘s constant strategy. If that occurs, the legacies of Indian cricket will likely be written and rewritten.
Sunday’s T20 recreation in Gwalior was one other mini-step in direction of establishing the Gambhir period. Choosing kids, bringing them in on the proper second, packing the group with all-rounders, and going onerous within the T20 format are all traits of Gambhir’s mindset.You simply must solid your thoughts again to his Kolkata Knight Riders days as captain and later as mentor or with LSG as their mentor and you’ll perceive.
KKR gained IPL titles in 2012 and 2014. These groups have been filled with all-rounders and multi-utility cricketers. Andre Russell, Shakib Al Hassan, Yusuf Pathan, and Lakshmi Ratan Shukla have been all a part of KKR. Round them, different gamers like Rajat Bhatia, Piyush Chawla, and Vinay Kumar may add worth in a couple of division.
Reduce to the present T20 setup – Hardik Pandya, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, currently-injured Shivam Dube, and new-kid-on-the-block Nitish Reddy all tick the field. Others who add worth are Rinku Singh and Riyan Prag. The model of cricket is fearless, one thing that 3 times IPL-winning captain and coach Gambhir has at all times professed.
One other facet that Gambhir swears by is the position of bowlers. “Batters setup video games, bowlers win you titles,” he would say and ardently keep. He’d at all times advocate for taking part in Check matches with 5 bowlers. Even in white ball format he’ll be certain that there’s a giant and wealthy pool of bowlers.
Getting Mayank Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy, Harshit Rana and Yash Dayal within the squad is a part of that initiative. Whereas the Gwalior T20I offered a small pattern the true deal was on present through the lately concluded Check collection in opposition to Bangladesh.
Main 1-Zero within the Check collection, India may have simply performed for a boring draw within the rain-affected Kanpur Check. However we noticed a brand new India come out all weapons blazing on Day 4, shattering data and reputations.
On the very backside of this strategy was Gambhir – an aggressive, in-your-face model of cricket. He has at all times maintained that for successful in sport you ought to be ready to lose, a mindset India fortunately embraced in Kanpur. The group may have simply been bundled out for a low rating whereas attempting to make a match of it however they have been keen to danger it.
It appeared that Kanpur was witnessing T20 carnage in whites. The quickest 50, quickest 100, 200 after which 250 in Check cricket saved coming. However the true story lies past numbers and data.
Bouncy, red-soil pitch in Chennai
India opted to play on a bouncy, red-soil pitch within the first Check match in Chennai. They needed to beat Bangladesh and check their very own batters protecting the Australia tour in thoughts. They might have simply opted for under-prepared, rank turners as has been the case previously whereas enjoying at residence. Rohit and Co. must be credited for that as a result of from the England Check collection at residence earlier this 12 months, the aspect has tailored to sporting tracks.
There’s nothing extra essential than successful for Gambhir. Even when he was Delhi captain greater than a decade again, the left-hander opted to play on the spicier floor of Roshanara Membership as a substitute of placid tracks on the then Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium. He may have beefed up his numbers by enjoying at Kotla however he took the harder route to assist the group pocket essential residence factors.
Virat Kohli pushed to No. 5
The ‘group first’ strategy was once more on present in one other transfer. Virat Kohli, probably the most celebrated batter of the group, was requested to bat at quantity 5 as a substitute of his normal quantity Four in Check matches. Rishabh Pant was despatched forward of him to press on the accelerator.
Anybody who has adopted Indian cricket carefully will let you know that it’s onerous to get a celebrated batter to vary his batting slot. Credit score to Kohli as effectively that he fortunately moved down the order for a much bigger trigger. It’s certainly a really relaxed and completely happy dressing room.
This isn’t the primary time that Gambhir has ignored the stature of a participant and primarily based his choice calls on the group’s profit. In 2012 earlier than the IPL remaining in opposition to Chennai Tremendous Kings, he dropped one of many prime KKR batters Brendon McCullum. The transfer was compelled resulting from harm to common pacer Balaji and Gambhir needed to play Brett Lee as a substitute. He lately revealed in an interview that he apologised to McCullum in entrance of the entire KKR group for that decision however he would not remorse it because it was for the group’s trigger. That remaining was gained by KKR.
There is only one cult in that dressing room…
Gambhir has at all times preached and practised that Indian cricket ought to cease hero-worshipping. From his enjoying days to his time as a commentator he has been extraordinarily vocal about this side. Considered one of his first speeches delivered through the KKR coaching camp earlier this 12 months had this message too.
“So individuals who performed with me will know one factor about me, that everybody on this group will likely be handled equally. There is not any senior or junior. There is no such thing as a home or worldwide,” he mentioned at Eden Gardens earlier than IPL 2024 began. KKR went on to win the title this 12 months with Gambhir as its mentor. He’s following that within the Indian group too. There appears to be no preferential therapy to seniors as everybody performs for the group’s trigger.
Gambhir is right here to win, to recreate legacies, to play the group sport the way in which it’s meant to be performed. All he wants is consistency, braveness and naturally assist of his gamers to stroll this path.
