The Indian cricket team has embarked on a fresh journey, with new head coach Gautam Gambhir set to take charge for the first time in the upcoming white-ball tour of Sri Lanka. The Indian cricket team arrived in Sri Lanka last week with Gambhir and T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav leading the pack. Earlier this month, India beat Zimbabwe 4-1 in their first assignment post Rahul Dravid’s departure as head coach. The former India captain Dravid’s contract expired last month after India’s T20 World Cup triumph.
Dravid’s departure also ended of the tenure’s of Vikram Rathour (batting coach) and Paras Mhambrey (bowling coach). On the other hand, T Dilip, the fielding coach, was retained by the BCCI.
Abhishek Naiyer and Ryan ten Doeschate have joined Gambhir in the support staff, but only for the Sri Lanka tour.
Mhambrey, who also had the pleasure of working with Dravid at India A, U19s, and the NCA, has now revealed that the former India captain didn’t like to take credit for the team’s success during his tenure.
“My association with Rahul is a long one. I worked with him for India A, U19s, NCA and then finally Team India. That’s eight-nine years of interaction and understanding what the requirements are, what the vision is. I knew what Rahul wanted. As a coach, Rahul was never in front, he is always behind (the players). That speaks a lot about the individual himself. A lot of focus was on the players. It’s all about the players, never about him. He never liked to take credit. You always see him in the background. A legend of a game. But to be able to say that, okay, I’m going to take a backseat and allow the captain and the team to be in the forefront, it’s phenomenal,” Mhambrey told Hindustan Times in an interview.
Mhambrey also shared his experience of working with India captain Rohit Sharma, something which he had previously experienced during his time at the Mumbai Indians.
“With Rohit… I’ve been part of the MI team. I’ve interacted a lot. It’s very important to have your captain on the same page. He was really involved in this team. He attended each and every meeting. There was a lot of discussion in the general team meetings and during those discussions during breakfast. Rahul and Vicky used to step out for dinner. Rohit would join in to have a casual conversation. This just creates trust and a bond with everyone. That transpired on the ground. The relationship that they have it’s not only off the field, it’s on the field as well. Very nice of Rohit to say that (referring to Dravid as his work wife). That you know the impact Rahul has had on him,” he added.
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