Gautam Gambhir has already made an impression as India coach

From the new captain’s attitude to the team’s batting style, Gautam Gambir’s influence is palpable on his debut as India coach. The three defining characteristics of Gambhir as a mentor and coach is to be smart, bold, and selfless. His debut series as India coach has so far shown ample evidence of these traits, showing the style of cricket we can expect from the Indian T20 team as it enters a new era.

There’s no place for an anchor in modern T20 cricket. India’s new openers, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill—replacing the stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli—made that clear in the very first T20 game, of Gambhir’s three-year stint as coach in Pallekele, Sri Lanka, on 27 July. They had strike rates of 190 and 212, respectively. For Jaiswal, it’s a familiar mode, but Gill wasn’t holding back either.

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Both openers got out to shots before reaching the milestone of 50, which is another departure from the past. But they gave India a rollicking start of 74 at 12 an over. 

The dismissal of the openers in quick succession did not slow India down. The new captain, Suryakumar Yadav aka SKY, was even more belligerent, unfurling his 360-degree range of shots to score 58 in 26 balls at a strike rate of 223. Yadav then made 26 in 12 balls in a rain-shortened game at the same venue the next day to seal the three-match series with two wins.

The appointment of Yadav as captain took many by surprise, because Hardik Pandya was the vice-captain in the T20 World Cup. But it seems to have been a good call, because the team has so far mirrored Yadav’s exuberance and fearlessness. 

There were smart in-play moves too, like deploying part-time off-spinner Riyan Parag to derail the Lankans after the latter had put up a spirited run chase at 10 runs an over for 14 overs, in the first game of the T20 series. And he snatched victory from the jaws of defeat in the last game, switching to part-time off-spin by Rinku Singh and himself for the last two overs when Sri Lanka needed only 9 to win.

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Yadav’s promise as a T20 captain for India was evident from early on, when he led the team in limited overs cricket, in the absence of Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya. He routed Australia 4-1 right after the 2023 ODI World Cup. He then levelled a T20 series in South Africa. Now, as first-choice captain, in partnership with Gambhir who shares a similar attitude, Yadav has a chance to reach new heights.

The appointment of the new T20 captain was Gambhir’s biggest move after being named the coach. Along with the chairman of selectors, Ajit Agarkar, he minced no words in saying that a player could not be captain if his fitness allowed him to appear in only half the games. So Pandya was out.

Gambhir has been equally forthright in declaring that players should make themselves available for all formats if they’re good enough, except for fast bowlers like Jasprit Bumrah, who require workload management. Pandya opted out of the ODI series in Sri Lanka for “personal reasons”, but he will have to come to terms with the new management that is unwilling to make concessions to superstars.

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At the same time, Gambhir has candidly acknowledged Pandya’s value to the team. The all-rounder has a pragmatic side which will enable him to fit into his new role and support Yadav’s captaincy. Then it may turn into a win-win for both Pandya and Gambhir.

Another relationship that’s on everyone’s mind is the one between Gambhir and Virat Kohli. They publicly buried the hatchet during IPL (Indian Premier League) 2024, when the shot of a post-match hug between the two went viral. But the proof of the pudding has to show on the ground.

Although ODI cricket still has a place for an anchor role in some situations, Kohli may have to forgo his newfound penchant for milestones. Fifties and centuries cannot be the goal when team requirements and situational play become paramount.

Kohli’s experience and batting quality will remain important for India, both in the ODIs against Sri Lanka and the forthcoming Test series in Australia. The T20 World Cup win got the weight of not winning an ICC trophy for a decade off his shoulder. He should now be able to play with more freedom, unless visions of his legacy weigh him down.

Gambhir’s relationship with Rohit Sharma is more straightforward. Over the years, Gambhir has made no secret of his admiration for the way Sharma plays the game. Sharma has always been supremely selfless in his approach to batting, and he has also been highly adaptable as a captain. So the Gambhir-Sharma combination for ODIs and Tests augurs well for India.

The big question is whether Sharma will retain his fitness, form, and motivation till the 2027 World Cup, by which time he will be 40 years old. That puts the onus on both Gambhir and Sharma to drill a new ODI and Test captain. 

Shubman Gill, who was the vice-captain in the Sri Lanka T20 series, seems to have the right attributes. He has the talent and flexibility to bat according to different situations and conditions, appears calm under pressure, and is arguably the safest catcher in the Indian team. Plus he’s just 24 years, an ideal age for a captain-in-waiting. 

His astuteness as a captain is still a work in progress. He showed flashes of good captaincy, interspersed with poor decisions, during IPL 2024 after taking over as captain of Gujarat Titans. He can ask for no better mentor than Gambhir who helped Kolkata Knight Riders win the IPL 2024 title with out-of-the-box moves.

The Indian team is on its way to fulfilling its destiny as the dominant force in cricket. With the IPL constantly throwing up new talent, and a coach who knows how to get the best out of players, the multitude of Indian fans can hope to enjoy watching their team play good, selfless cricket to win more often than not.

Sumit Chakraberty is a writer based in Bengaluru.

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