'Big fan, love his aggression' - Dale Steyn excited to see Gautam Gambhir as India head coach

Former South Africa international Dale Steyn is excited with the news of Gautam Gambhir’s appointment as India's head coach. Rahul Dravid’s tenure as head coach ended after the T20 World Cup and after multiple discussions and a couple of interviews, Gambhir was finalised for the position.

Steyn, who has played against Gambhir in international cricket and IPL, lauded the southpaw and called himself his fan. The former pacer also stated that he loves Gambhir’s aggression and believes that the cricketing world needs more such individuals who are aggressive and are ready to give 100% to get the job done. 

Steyn added that Gambhir’s characteristics off the field are very different from his on-field persona. The 41-year-old called him a street-smart cricketer and mentioned that he is a gentleman off the ground.

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“I’m a big fan of Gautam Gambhir. I love his aggression: he’s one of the few Indians that I played against that kinda came back at you. I like it. I think he’s going to take it into the dressing room. Not just India, but world cricket needs guys who are a little bit more aggressive and play the game a little bit harder,” Steyn told Star Sports.

“We all play in the leagues against each other and we become quite friendly. I like the way Gambhir is fierce on the field but a gentleman off the field. He’s street-wise and a very smart cricketer from that point of view, he’s going to be fantastic for the Indian team,” he added.

Gambhir will add a lot of value to the Indian team: Jacques Kallis

Former all-rounder Jacques Kallis too heaped praise on Gambhir, someone he shared the dressing room with in Kolkata Knight Riders. The 48-year-old was happy to see his former captain get into coaching and believes that he would add a lot of value to the Indian team.

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“Great to see Gauti getting into the coaching side of things. He’s got a really good cricket brain on him. He’ll bring some fire. Loves playing the game aggressively. He’ll bring that added touch and the guys will learn a lot from him. He’s got a lot of add… he will add a lot of value to that Indian team,” said Kallis.