NEW DELHI: Former Sri Lankan international cricketer
Thisara Perera
has praised the appointment of
Gautam Gambhir
as the new
head coach
of the
Indian men's cricket team
. Gambhir's first assignment will be leading the team against Sri Lanka in an upcoming series.
"I played against him (Gambhir) during the
India vs Sri Lanka
2011 World Cup. I got him (out).
So, that is a memorable moment. And even I saw the IPL season this year, he did really well there. Sometimes he is really aggressive, I saw it on TV. But I feel if he has to be a good coach, he needs to have some aggressiveness as well. Otherwise, you can't control the players. I think appointing him as a coach is a good decision," Perera told Star Sports.
Another Sri Lankan veteran
Angelo Mathews
acknowledged Gambhir's fierce competitiveness and aggressive nature on the field. He stated, "Gautam has always been a very fierce competitor, very aggressive. Even when batting, there are no giveaways from him. You need to fight against him all the time to get his wicket. And even on the field, he is just a great character. I wish him all the very best."
An outspoken personality, Gambhir has replaced the more reserved
Rahul Dravid
, with Dravid's tenure ending last month with India's
T20 World Cup
title victory.
After his appointment, Gambhir posted on X: "India is my identity and serving my country has been the greatest privilege of my life. I'm honoured to be back in a different role. My goal remains the same: to make every Indian proud. The men in blue shoulder the dreams of 1.4 billion Indians, and I will do everything to make these dreams come true!"
Under his stewardship, India will play three T20 Internationals and three ODIs from July to August, starting with the T20Is at Pallekele on July 27, 28, and 30, before moving to Colombo for the ODIs on August 2, 4, and 7.
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