Team India all-rounder Shardul Thakur has opened up about Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir. However, Gambhir made headlines during the 2025 Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy against England, where Shubman Gill led the indian team to a 2-2 draw in the five-match Test series.

On Sunday, August 17, during an interaction with RevSportz, Shardul Thakur said, “Yes, we have always seen him as a player who is willing to fight for the team, and even during the huddles, he transferred that energy into us, the one that he brought into the field during his playing days. He is an achiever who has won trophies for the nation and the state. And he brings all those experiences and motivations into the team. Criticism will come and go, but as a team, winning matters, and I believe we are heading in the right direction when it comes to that.”

READ HERE: Shubman Gill Takes Sly Dig At His Critics After India Win At Edgbaston

However, Shardul Thakur also opined on how the young Indian side, under new Test captain Shubman Gill, managed to draw the 2025 Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy against England as well. He added that the team lacked experience after the retirements of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, but gave credit to Gautam Gambhir for instilling belief in the squad as well.

Shardul said: “When your backs are against the wall, there is no going back and that was the situation, having two of the most senior pro players [Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma] retiring from the game, and not having Mohammed Shami in the squad. The bit of experience this team had was in form of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj. The batting unit was fairly inexperienced, except for KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant. This team had no other option than to rise and put up a fight, because at the end of the day, you are representing India.”

READ HERE: “The reality is I was tired” – Jasprit Bumrah on not celebrating five-fer

“Even our team huddles had Gauti Bhai [Gautam Gambhir] saying: “You are lucky to be representing your country.” Maybe young, but we are here because of our talent, and as our coach said: “If you have the belief, then there is no opponent that you cannot beat. If it’s your day, you can take any side down, based on how badly you want it.” And most importantly, when youngsters are in the team, they would do anything to showcase their talent in front of the world. I guess that’s what lifted the morale of the team and kept our team going,” Shardul Thakur concluded.