Gautam Gambhir had a clear and bold message for the Indian team amid his appointment as head coach. Gambhir emphasised the importance of playing all three formats with a focus on injury and workload management.
Gautam Gambhir’s approach to player management
Gambhir acknowledges that injuries are part of an athlete’s life. However, he firmly believes that if a player is fit, they should strive to play in all three formats. He rejects the notion of compartmentalizing players based on formats and workload management.
Gambhir recognizes that professional cricketers have a limited career span. When in good form, he encourages them to seize the opportunity and represent their country across all formats.
“Injuries are part of sportsmen’s life. And if you are playing all three formats, you are injured, you go back and recover but you should be playing all three formats. I am not a big believer to identify people that okay we are going to keep him for Test matches and we are going to keep him and we are going to manage his injury and workload and stuff,” Gambhir said in a video posted by Star Sports.
“Look professional cricketers, you got a very small span. When you are playing for your country you want to play as much as you can. When you are in very good form, go ahead and play all the three formats,” Gambhir explained.
Gambhir’s no-nonsense approach underscores that players must prioritize the team’s best interests. Whether it’s Test cricket, ODIs, or T20s, their commitment should be unwavering.
Right from his playing days, @GautamGambhir has believed that an in-form player should play all three formats 👀
Will this practice be adopted now?
Watch #FollowTheBlues to know everything related to the #MenInBlue, only on Star Sports pic.twitter.com/G1NdwlFKGn
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) July 12, 2024
Gambhir’s appointment as head coach makes him the youngest to lead the Indian team. His pragmatic stance aligns with the modern game’s demands and the need for versatile players.
As India embarks on its tour to Sri Lanka, Gambhir’s coaching tenure promises to reshape how players approach different formats. In a world where cricket evolves, his message resonates: excellence knows no boundaries.
