Former India batter turned commentator Sanjay Manjrekar has supported Gautam Gambhir to succeed as head coach before his first red-ball as well as home assignment. The newly appointed coach watched the tour of Sri Lanka, where the Indian Team completed a whitewash in the T20I series, but lost the ODI series 0-2 as well.

Having been the mentor of the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Gambhir has become the Indian team’s head coach.  The same is the case with assistant coach Abhishek Nayar and Ryan ten Doeschate as well. And, Manjrekar played down the lack of experience at the highest level and felt that Gambhir’s impressive game-reading ability helps the team well.

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“Coaches have limited sort of impact in cricket. Rahul Dravid did a fantastic job, and the T20 World Cup win was something that he needed as a parting gift. He put his heart and soul in the game, and the same can be expected from Gautam Gambhir. I’ve known him for the last 3-4 years, and he is a guy who reads the game really well. One of the very few people who can be clinical about Indian cricket, and not too emotional,” Manjrekar said on ESPN Cricinfo.

However, Gautam Gambhir played a key role in guiding Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to their third IPL title earlier this year. And, it proved to be a game-changer as he became Rahul Dravid’s successor post the 2024 T20 World Cup.

“Maybe not as much the captain, but the coach is as good as the team. So, Indian cricket is in a great state, and I believe that should continue no matter who the coach. What we see of Gambhir is his public persona, as a player and as an expert. Now, when he gets into the team as coach, I’m sure somewhere he will change his ways a little bit, and think differently.” Sanjay Majrekar concluded.