CHENNAI: KKR's magnificent run into the IPL final has made former India opener
Gautam Gambhir
the hot topic in the national team's hunt for a new head coach.
BCCI
secretary Jay Shah's statement on Friday saying the board never approached any Australian for the job and that they "are focused on identifying individuals who possess a deep understanding of the Indian cricket structure and have risen through the ranks" have only added fuel to the speculation that Gambhir could be the frontrunner.
Shah's words indicate that if the new coach is not VVS Laxman, who is in charge of the National Cricket Academy, then it has to be an Indian who knows how the system works. Sources close to the development indicated there hasn't been any formal proposal from the board to Gambhir yet but if it comes along, the former India opener "may not be averse to taking it up". The source added: "He is that kind of character who never shies away from a challenge."
Gambhir is currently KKR mentor and the obvious question will be whether the franchise will let him go after this season's success. The feeling is "it will be decided in a private conversation between Shah Rukh Khan and Gambhir, if it comes to that".
That brings us the question, what exactly makes Gambhir such hot property? He hasn't done any junior (or domestic) coaching but is known for his plain speak, which may not always be music to the ears of the superstars in the Indian dressing room.
Those who know Gambhir insist whatever the former Delhi cricketer says, it is always "on your face". He was the same as captain when he revived KKR's sinking ship in 2011 to make them champions twice in a space of four years. From a lackluster seventh-place finish last year, this season KKR have topped the table with the same nucleus and start as favourites in the final.
"The beauty of Gauti as a captain, and maybe as a coach also, is that he is not obsessed with numbers. He always rewards small contributions. Once as KKR captain, he gave away his Man of the Match award to (Bengal player) Debabrata Das for a cameo against CSK. The players felt empowered under him. They knew if he had a strong word with them, there must be for a reason," former India pacer Lashmipathy Balaji, who was one of Gambhir's chief lieutenants in the KKR team of 2011-13, told TOI.
Gambhir, in a recent interview with R Ashwin, also stressed on that point. "We get too caught up with headlines. But it is important to remember the building blocks. No one talks about
Zaheer Khan
's first spell in the 2011 ODI final when he gave away six runs in five overs. Those are the contributions that we need to remember," Gambhir told Ashwin.
As mentor of KKR too, he has stuck to this philosophy. While the likes of Sunil Narine, Phil Salt or Andre Russell have hogged the limelight for big performances, Gambhir always has a lot of time for the likes of Venkatesh Iyer, Vaibhav Arora or Harshit Rana.
There's another element of Gambhir's captaincy and coaching that deserves a special mention. In the build-up to the 2012 IPL final against two-time champions CSK, when Balaji got injured, Gambhir dropped a superstar opener like Brendon McCullum to draft in little-known wicketkeeper batter Manvinder Bisla so that an experienced foreign pacer in Brett Lee could play.
"Imagine the immensity - Bisla for Brendon in a final - and the repercussions of that move backfiring. But Bisla played one of the best knocks of an IPL final. That's what you call instinct and it all happened because Gauti was courageous enough to stick his neck out," Balaji said.
Gambhir showed similar instinct as mentor when he broke the bank to draft in
Mitchell Starc
for Rs 24 cr in the auction this year. The move was criticized, the Aussie paceman didn't do too well in the first phase, but nothing could stop Gambhir from sticking with the left-armer, just the way MS Dhoni did with a faltering Shane Watson in the 2018 IPL.
Starc's class finally showed in the all-important Qualifier 1, when he removed Travis Head off the first ball to set up the win, which brought back visions of Watson's ton in the 2018 final.
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