India men’s head coach Gautam Gambhir has opened up about his relationship with former captain Rohit Sharma, stressing that a strong connection between a coach and captain is essential for making decisions in the best interests of the team. Gambhir explained that his relationship with Rohit was never limited to their coach-captain roles. Their association goes back several years, to a time when Gambhir was an established senior player in the Indian team and Rohit was still finding his feet in international cricket.

“I don’t think so. See, Rohit’s and my relationship was not just of captain and coach. Rohit’s and my relationship, when Rohit came into the team, I was a senior player at that time,” Gautam Gambhir said while speaking on JioStar.

He pointed out that this history meant they did not have to start from scratch when Gambhir took over as India’s head coach. Having played alongside Rohit, Gambhir already understood his personality, approach and cricketing mindset.

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“So Rohit’s and my relationship is from back then. Rohit has known me since then. It isn’t like Rohit and I had a new relationship, or that I came as a coach from a foreign country who has neither seen Rohit play nor knows Rohit individually or personally, what kind of person he is,” Gautam Gambhir added.

The former India opener also explained how playing together had made communication between the two easier. Gautam Gambhir had witnessed Rohit’s development from a young international cricketer into one of India’s leading batters and eventually its captain. “So often when you have played together, things become very easy. And in fact, he knows my thinking; I know his thinking,” Gambhir said.

According to Gautam Gambhir, differences in opinion between a coach and captain are natural, but the ultimate decision must always be based on what benefits Indian cricket.

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“Because tomorrow I might have some other thinking, the captain might have some other thinking, but ultimately, whatever is in the best interest of the team, if that is the final decision, then nothing can be better than that,” he said.

Gambhir added that this has been his experience while working with all four captains during his coaching tenure. Despite different personalities and viewpoints, he said, their common objective has always been to serve Indian cricket.