“Do you think Gautam Gambhir can make a good head coach for India?” I asked.
It was as if B Arun was ready for the question. In fact, even before I had finished asking it, he had a wry smile on his face. And had started answering, stopping me in my tracks. “Gautam has all the credentials to be a very good coach for India,” he said. “Whether or not he decides to throw his hat into the ring is his call, but let me tell you he has every credential that you need to be a good head coach.”
The words were said with a certain conviction. Having worked with Gambhir for the past two months as Kolkata Knight Riders’ bowling coach, and having been involved with the India system, Arun knows it well. And when it comes from him, you do take it seriously.
When I asked him a follow-up question, he waited an extra second. He was still on the subject of Gambhir. “It was Gautam who insisted that Sunil Narine should open,” he told me. “In fact, he was really insistent, you know. And I have to say Narine with the bat was a revelation for all of us.”
One could sense the deep appreciation for the call. Needless to say, it played a major role in KKR winning the IPL.
Arun, however, wasn’t done yet. “Gautam is a players’ man,” he said. “Every player knows he is there and they can go and approach him on any issue, at any point in time. That’s what is the best part about him, and that’s why I say he is a players man.”
Maybe that’s why Gambhir is a frontrunner for the India coaching job. You need a good man-manager to oversee the transition within team India, which is at most a couple of years away. Also Gambhir’s passion and straight talk could well be key in Australia when India tour down under, and seek a historic third consecutive series win.
While neither Gambhir nor the BCCI has said anything on the matter, suffice to say that he would have rubbished statements if there wasn’t any truth to them. That’s how he is. He would have said no, and moved on. That he hasn’t is proof enough that he could be keen, and that there is substance to the story that has been doing the rounds.
Coming back to Arun, it was evident from the conversation with India’s former bowling coach that he wouldn’t be unhappy if Gambhir did take up the job. Arun, who is credited with having introduced workload management among India’s fast bowlers, knows well what it takes to win in Australia. Twice under Ravi Shastri and Arun, India did so down under. He also knows Pat Cummins and his team will be well prepared this time round. With a superb bowling attack, Australia will test the Indian batters and the contest will not simply be played out in the middle. It will also be off the field, and mentally, the Indians will need to be strong and resilient.
In December 2020, the 36 all out in Adelaide was turned into a badge of honour that lifted the team through the rest of the series. Gambhir is capable of such things, and could well be a differentiator in key series and ICC tournaments. For the moment though, it is all still conjecture. But Gambhir is the frontrunner, and by a distance. Add to that his camaraderie with Rohit Sharma, and you know why he is perhaps the candidate of choice at the moment.
To go back to what Arun said, Gambhir’s qualities as a players’ man are what bind him with the present-day captain. Whether or not they get to work together will be known a few weeks from now.