Former India coach Lalchand Rajput has backed Gautam Gambhir to coach Indian cricket, citing his tactical acumen and World Cup victories. Rajput believes Gambhir's experience and no-nonsense attitude make him a strong candidate.
KKR mentor Gautam Gambhir with BCCI secretary Jay Shah in Chennai (AP Photo)
New Delhi,UPDATED: Jun 4, 2024 20:24 IST
Former India coach Lalchand Rajput believes Gautam Gambhir is the best option to lead Indian cricket because he is a savvy tactician, a no-nonsense guy, and someone who brings value to the setup as a two-time World Cup champion. Although it is unclear whether Gambhir has officially applied for the India coach role, it is expected that he may succeed Rahul Dravid in the high-pressure position following the T20 World Cup. The deadline to apply for the job was May 27.
"Gambhir is a no-nonsense guy, he has played cricket the hard way and he reads the game well and that has been seen for KKR (Kolkata Knight Riders) as well," Rajput told PTI in an exclusive interaction on Tuesday. Rajput used the example of the Knight Riders' winning run in the IPL. "KKR was the same team last year and you see the difference that he made this year. He is a shrewd tactician as well," said Rajput, the director of cricket for Jabalpur Lions in the upcoming Madhya Pradesh T20 League (MPT20) the Scindia Cup.
Rajput added Gambhir's expertise as a two-time World Cup-winning Indian player would also be beneficial. "I am sure with all his experience - he has won two World Cup (wins) as a player - that will really add value. He is a good candidate, but it all depends upon BCCI who they want. He will be the right candidate to take Indian cricket forward," Rajput added. The former India opener drew parallels between India's 2007 World T20 winning group and the current squad in the Americas, stating that having experienced players in the lineup is critical.
"You got to have some experience as well. We can't just go with the fairly new (side) because in World Cup, pressure is also there," he said. You should have some senior guys and along with that the juniors because they have to complement each other. Even if you look at our 2007 squad, there were seniors like (Virender) Sehwag, Gambhir, Irfan Pathan, Harbhajan (Singh), RP Singh, Yuvraj Singhâ€æ"
"Yes, there were youngsters like Rohit Sharma, Robin Uthappa and even Dinesh Karthik - there was a good mixture (and) it complemented well," he said. Rajput admitted that selecting India's starting XI would be difficult, but he favoured Rishabh Pant as wicketkeeper-batsman and Virat Kohli as an opener. "It is a headache to get to the final XI because everybody has been performing well. But wicket-keeping choice, definitely, Pant is the frontrunner because there is no other second thought," he said.
"It is the only thing that who will open, if (Yashasvi) Jaiswal opens, then your balance becomes a little bit (off), then you can't play both Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube. Looking at the balance, Virat Kohli opens, then you can have Suryakumar (Yadav) at No. 3, then No 4. can be Pant. At five, Hardik Pandya, No. 6 will be Shivam Dube," he added.
Published By:
Saurabh Kumar
Published On:
Jun 4, 2024
English (US) ·