Zimbabwean cricket legend Andy Flower has congratulated Gautam Gambhir, who has started a new venture as head coach of the Indian cricket team, for their first win in a T20I series. This was Gambhir’s first series as head coach on the tour of Sri Lanka, and this debut head coach performance has already drawn attention from the cricket fraternity.
While acknowledging Gambhir’s little experience in coaching, Flower went ahead and said that he is the kind of leader that highlights the most important qualities in a successful coach. According to Flower, Gambhir is not a classic coach but an “inspirational leader.” He added that Gambhir’s work is much more than using the traditional methods of coaching; his motivational skills and leadership in guiding his people through the principles and beliefs are unmatchable.
“He’s certainly got some of the characteristics of a successful coach. He hasn’t really coached, though, has he? He is not your conventional coach. It would probably be better to describe him as an inspirational leader than a coach. That might be more accurate,” Andy Flower told ESPNcricinfo.
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He is also the head coach of the Royal Challengers Bangalore, and Flower noted in Gambhir an unspoken sense of deep self-belief and unflinching adherence to one’s doctrines. For Flower, it is this courage to stay by one’s conviction that will perhaps rub off onto the team to follow Gambhir. With strong opinions and clarity of vision for the goals, Gambhir’s stance typifies a readiness to make hard choices and hence brings clarity and a sense of purpose to his leadership.
“He’s a guy that has the conviction and courage of his own beliefs and principles that will allow other people to really want to follow him. Followers or teams like to trust that their leader has the courage of his convictions. And GG definitely has that. He has strong opinions. He knows where he wants to go. He’s willing to make tough decisions. He will have a very clear idea of the type of cricket that he wants his teams to play,” added Andy Flower.
Though Gambhir may not have the big resume like most international coaches, he has an attitude that can hardly be beaten down and a latent hunger to formulate a strategy and see it through.
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These are precisely the ingredients the Indian team requires to take them to the next level of performance. Gambhir’s style of leading with lots of conviction and courage had its campaign ready to make the Indian cricket team reach new high grounds as they move on from the successful T20I leg into the ongoing tour of Sri Lanka.
