Dinesh Karthik exposes Gautam Gambhir’s insecurity: 'It must be playing on his mind'

Former India National Cricket Team wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik has pinpointed a huge concern for the head coach, Gautam Gambhir, ahead of the big Test season.

Gautam Gambhir took over as India's head coach after Rahul Dravid's exit post-T20 World Cup 2024 triumph. He had a good start in his new role with the team as India whitewashed Sri Lanka in a three-match T20I series. However, on the same tour, the Gautam Gambhir-coached side lost the ODI series against the Lankan Lions for the first time since 1997.

The biggest challenge for Gautam Gambhir will be to make sure that the Indian team perform well in the upcoming Test season as they are set to play 10 matches - 2 against Bangladesh, 3 against New Zealand, and 5 against Australia.

If India manage to win most of the matches against Bangladesh, New Zealand, and Australia, they will book a spot in the final of the ICC World Test Championship for the third consecutive time.

Talking about Gautam Gambhir ahead of the two-match Test series between India and Bangladesh, Dinesh Karthik said that the players will enjoy playing under the head coach as he generally shows aggression to protect his players.

“His aggression has generally come out in protection of his players and that is something the current lot of players will enjoy. Knowing him, he is not someone who gets angry for the heck of it,” Karthik told PTI.

“I’m sure he will have his turn with strong words for whoever it is required, and it is in his best interest to get the best out of the players,” he added.

This Test series will be completely new for him as a coach - Dinesh Karthik on Gautam Gambhir

Dinesh Karthik further said that the lack of coaching experience, especially in Test cricket, could be a concern for Gautam Gambhir and it must be playing at the back of his mind.

“He has been a part of numerous T20 tournaments. But this Test series will be completely new for him as a coach and it must be playing at the back of his mind,” Karthik said.

“He is someone who has navigated through tough waters. He’s got the acumen to understand the pulse of the game, which is extremely important as a coach.”

“He is at a very early stage as a coach, so it will be interesting how it pans out. However, I have confidence that he will deliver on all aspects. So far, it has worked well for him,” Karthik added.

Dinesh Karthik also cautioned India about Bangladesh, saying that the visitors will start the Test series with high confidence, having defeated Pakistan in their own backyard.

"It will start with a lot of confidence from Bangladesh. (For India) it’s about understanding that they are playing a slightly different Bangladesh team,” he said.

“But, India in India is a different kettle of fish to beat. It’s not going to be in any way as easy as compared to going outside and beating other countries in their backyard,” he concluded.