Gautam Gambhir wants format specific batting coaches for Team India

Gautam Gambhir, the former Indian cricketer, reckons that it’s not guaranteed to succeed as a coach if one has played at the highest level for a long time. The 38-year-old feels that playing international cricket can be a criterion for being a national selector, but not necessarily a coach. Gambhir hasn’t been a coach of any team, bur mentored the Delhi Daredevils, now Capitals.

In the 2018 Indian Premier League (IPL), the southpaw took over the role after giving up captaincy. Though not being a coach, Gambhir is aware of leading a unit, having won Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) the IPL a couple of times. He also led Team India in a few matches.

Probably you can just have a different T20 batting coach: Gautam Gambhir

“It’s not important that you have played a lot of cricket, for you to be a very successful coach – probably, that’s right for a selector, but not for a coach,” Gambhir was quoted as saying on Star Sports Show Cricket Connected.

He also said that one who hasn’t played too much cricket can go on to become a successful coach as well. “Probably you can just have a different T20 batting coach, just for that particular format. It is really not true that someone who hasn’t played international cricket or who hasn’t played enough cricket, can’t become a successful coach,” he stated.

Mickey Arthur didn’t play international cricket. However, he coached Australia, South Africa, Pakistan pretty successfully. Currently, he is the coach of the Sri Lanka cricket team.

Gambhir, who retired on December 2018, said that a coach can’t teach a batsman to play ambitious strokes. As per the Delhi-born, one should refrain from such methods as it could end up disturbing the technique of a player.

“What ultimately a coach does in a T20 format is frees your mindset and feeds your mindset and make you hit those goals and those big shots. No one teaches you how to hit a lap shot or a reverse lap shot, no coach can do that. If someone is trying to do that to a player, he is harming him more than actually making him a better player,” Gambhir added.