'Needs to be calm, understand players' - Ravi Shastri's advice for Gautam Gambhir ahead of BGT 2024-25

Head coach Gautam Gambhir has faced immense criticism after India’s humiliating 3-0 defeat to New Zealand at home. Before that, the Rohit Sharma-led side also suffered a defeat in the ODI series against Sri Lanka. Such performances led to questions on Gambhir’s position as reports suggest that the BCCI officials may consider a change in case India fail to live up to the expectations in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Former India head coach Ravi Shastri has advised that Gambhir should stay calm and take things as they come. Shastri reckoned that the team and coach must not pay attention to what is happening outside and rather focus on developing his relationship with the players. Shastri also talked about the importance of interpersonal relationships and believes that if the team management, particularly the head coach, communicates with the all players, it can bring out the best in them.

Also Read - Chief selector Ajit Agarkar to stay in Australia for entire BGT 2024-25, to work on roadmap with Gautam Gambhir

“I think the first thing would be to be calm. You know, don't let outside elements influence you in any way. Because of that, don't get into a position where knee-jerk reactions happen. I think be calm. Get to understand your players. You will see them in match situations. You will see them in India. You will see them overseas. You will notice what it takes for a player to tick. You will understand situations of a team where a certain player might be better than the other, just because of your understanding of his temperament,” Shastri said on Star Sports Press Room.

'It took me some time to understand everyone' - Shastri on his experience as head coach

Shastri added that even he took some time to understand all the players and their temperament. He highlighted that the team is going through a transition and players from all across the country are part of the team and that Gambhir should dig deep, understand the mindset and push their confidence to turn them into a match-winner

“These things don't come overnight. It took me some time to understand everyone. Gautam might have seen them from the outside in the IPL. He might have sat with a few players in the dressing room when he played the game. But there are a lot of other players, and they come from different mindsets, different cultures, different parts of the country. For you to dig deep and understand their mindsets would be the most important thing. There could be a player who is an introvert, but if you push him out there and give him the confidence, he could be a match-winner,” Shastri said.