Last Updated on 1 month by Charbel Coorey
Joginder Sharma, who memorably took the final wicket in India’s 2007 T20 World Cup triumph, has expressed his thoughts on new coach Gautam Gambhir. Despite Gambhir’s positive start in charge of the team during the ongoing tour of Sri Lanka, Sharma believes he won’t last the entirety of his contract, which expires in 2027.
According to Joginder, Gambhir can make certain decisions that can lead to controversies. He expects there to be conflict of views and beliefs during the stint.
“Gautam Gambhir is the one to manage the team, but I believe that Gautam Gambhir will not be able to stay for a long time. This is because Gautam Gambhir has his own decisions,” Joginder said in Subhankar Mishra’s podcast.
“It might happen that he has a disagreement with a player. I am not talking about Virat Kohli. Many times, Gautam Gambhir’s decisions are such that others do not like them.”
Gautam Gambhir speaks directly and is not someone who will go to anyone – Joginder Sharma
The 40-year-old added that Gambhir is a straight-shooter who will make decisions on his own terms. That being said, Joginder described Gambhir as one who does his work with great honesty, and what you see is what you get.
“Gautam Gambhir speaks directly. He is not someone who will go to anyone. Gautam Gambhir is not a person who flatters. We are the ones who give him credit. He does his work, does it sincerely, and does it with great honesty,” Joginder said.
In Gambhir’s first assignment as coach, India beat Sri Lanka 3-0 in the T20Is, headlined by a stunning win in the final match where defeat looked all but certain. India have not hesitated in giving part-time bowlers a chance, with Suryakumar Yadav, Rinku Singh, Rohit Sharma and Riyan Parag sending down overs.
The tour then moved to the ODIs, where India lost a series to Sri Lanka for the first time since 1997. Things haven’t got much better, losing a home Test series for the first time since 2012, going down in the first two Tests against New Zealand in October.
