Image Credit- Getty
Head coach of the Indian men’s cricket team Gautam Gambhir is frequently referred to be a misunderstood individual. Throughout his playing career, Gambhir frequently wore his heart on his sleeve when he was on the pitch. Gambhir was at the core of some of India’s most notable victories, particularly in ICC events, and he did so with amazing enthusiasm.
His contribution to Team India’s victories in the 2011 ODI World Cup and the 2007 ICC World T20 was crucial. Although Gambhir became one of India’s best match-winners, he occasionally had to contend with some elite players for a berth on the squad.
Aakash Chopra, a former cricket player for India who was also an opening batsman, disclosed how the Indian team was drastically altered to make room for batters, forcing even Virender Sehwag to drop to the No. 4 position.
“We are competitors because we were fighting for one place. Our team was very good. When we were playing, only one of Kohli and Dhawan got the chance to play. The team was like that. In fact, there was no place for even Viru to open the batting. Viru batted four so that we can accommodate one of Shikhar and Virat at 3,” recalled Chopra in a podcast with Raj Shamani on YouTube.
Given the fierce battle for the first few positions on the team in the beginning, Chopra had no hesitation in expressing that he wasn’t pals with Gambhir. But everyone could see that Gambhir was passionate, even Chopra.
“We were competitors to begin with. He wasn’t a friend, to be honest. (But he was a) very passionate guy, very hard working, and very serious about his craft. And he scored a lot of runs. But he always wore his heart on the sleeve, was extremely passionate, and could short-fuse very quickly in terms of temperament,” Chopra further revealed.
“He’s a good hearted guy, comes from a very affluent family. For that kid to have that kind of passion… he would be at the ground the whole day. He was born with a golden spoon, not even silver. It’s a different journey, basically like Abhinav Bindra. Gautam has the heart at the right place,” Chopra asserted.