India captain Rohit Sharma said on Tuesday that while head coach Gautam Gambhir’s approach is different from the former head coach Rahul Dravid, he enjoys a strong working relationship with Gambhir and the newly appointed support staff as well. Gambhir, the former India opener and World Cup winner took over as head coach in July as well. Under his leadership, India won the T20I series 3-0 against Sri Lanka but lost the ODI series 0-2 as well. The upcoming Test series against Bangladesh in Chennai will be Gambhir’s first in charge of the Test format as well.
“Obviously, Rahul bhai, Vikram Rathour (former batting coach), and Paras Mhambrey (former bowling coach) had a different approach, and it’s only natural for a new support staff to bring in fresh perspectives,” Rohit Sharma said at a pre-series press conference on Tuesday. “But from the matches we played in Sri Lanka with the new team, they seemed sensible and quick to understand the dynamics of the squad.”
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However, Rahul Dravid’s tenure as head coach concluded after India’s T20 World Cup victory in the West Indies, and he is now all set to coach IPL’s Rajasthan Royals as well. Meanwhile, Rathour and Mhambrey were replaced by Abhishek Nayar (assistant coach) and South African Morne Morkel (bowling coach). On the other hand, former Dutch all-rounder Ryan ten Doeschate also joined as an assistant coach as well.
On the other hand, Abhishek Nayar’s appointment was expected, and Morkel and Doeschate, who earlier worked with Gambhir at Kolkata Knight Riders, were selected as well. And, Rohit Sharma shared his long-standing relationship with both Gambhir and Nayar, saying that it has helped build a comfortable working environment too as well.
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“I’ve known Gautam and Abhishek for a long time, and every coaching team has its own style. Over my 17-year career, I’ve worked with many different coaches, each bringing their own unique perspective, and it’s important to adapt to those differences. I’ve played against both Morne and Ryan – maybe not as much with Ryan – but that’s irrelevant. So far, we’ve had no issues; we understand each other well, and that’s key to a good working relationship,” Rohit Sharma concluded.
