Dinesh Karthik feels Gautam Gambhir is the finest contender for the position of Team India’s head coach. Karthik urged that the former opening batter consider taking the role if given the opportunity.
Gambhir embraced the role of mentor with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) before IPL 2024. Witnessing a moment of glory KKR clinched their third IPL title by overpowering SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) with an eightwicket lead in the final match held in Chennai on Sunday May 26.
Karthik believed that Gautham Gambhir had established a culture of winning within the Kolkatabased team and supported him in replicating this achievement with the national side.
“He has really built a good team, one that will have a lot of players retained, and he’s left them in a very, very good place. If he gets the opportunity, I really wish he takes it. Being part of the national team and the patriotism that he has, I think he will definitely be tempted to take it.”
“I really wish he comes in because he will infuse that winning culture he’s infused here, and India would do very well under him. When it comes to KKR, whenever he’s back, they’ll take him back with open arms.”
Dinesh Karthik
Karthik also discussed Gambhir’s remarkable IPL record, highlighting his accomplishments as a mentor with the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and KKR.
“What a record he’s had as a coach. Being the mentor for LSG, two years on the bounce qualifying, comes to KKR, and they say, ‘Please, got to do something special for us’, ends up with the trophy. He’s been at the helm, taken all the decisions, be it sending Narine opening, or getting Mitchell Starc in the auction, all of those big recruits and getting the right team, the balance, and then taking all the shots. I’m seeing the news that he could part of the Indian team as well, and I really wish he does. He has that fire in him.”
Dinesh Karthik
Gautam Gambhir has been reportedly approached by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to potentially assume the mantle of Team Indias next coach. The fascinating development arises as current coach Rahul Dravid is set to conclude his tenure after the 2024 T20 World Cup.
Dinesh Karthik Reflects on Shreyas Iyer’s Struggles After 2023 World Cup
During the same talk, Dinesh Karthik said how KKR captain Shreyas Iyer had a difficult period in his career despite being one of India’s top performers at the 2023 ODI World Cup.
Iyer had missed a couple domestic matches due to back difficulties. However, this resulted in his losing the BCCI’s central contract.
“He went through a bit of a lull post the World Cup, which was probably one of the highlights of his career. He had a phenomenal World Cup What a tournament that was for him personally. He was one of the key players and did really well. But post that, his back struggle again started. He was picking and choosing matches, and it didn’t look good optically. People reacted a lot on what happened, they never understood his side of the story. By the time it came out, it was a bit too late.”
Dinesh Karthik
Karthik stated that Shreyas Iyer and Gautam Gambhir worked well together for the IPL 2024.
“They work well, fire and ice. Gambhir is that guy who pushes the team to do those tough things, and Shreyas Iyer is a lot more calmer, he’s got a way of approaching things, and he’s handled a lot of the boys who must be going through different mindsets at different points of time with a lot of doubts really well.”
Dinesh Karthik
In the IPL 2024 final, KKR dismissed SRH for a measly 113. They easily chased down the score in only 10.3 overs.
