Gautam Gambhir is a kid, would cry after losing matches, reveals his coach

Apart from his batting exploits for Team India and his other achievements as a cricketer, India head coach Gautam Gambhir is also known for living up to his surname.

The former India opener's surname literally means serious and he just loves to maintain a serious face all the time. Gautam Gambhir is hardly seen sporting a smile on his face, making many believe that the India great does not like to show his emotions. However, Gautam Gambhir's true personality is completely different, according to his coach Sanjay Bharadwaj.

Bharadwaj has said that the former cricketer's relentless pursuit for excellence and his winning attitude have created a wrong picture of his personality among the people. The coach said that people have mistaken Gambhir's winning attitude for arrogance.

'Gautam Gambhir is like an innocent kid'

Bharadwaj, who was bestowed with the Dronacharya Award in 2019, recalled his journey with Gambhir that began more than three decades ago. He stated that Gambhir struggled to deal with defeats even when he was only 12-13 years old.

Bharadwaj revealed that the India great, who hardly shows any emotion on the field, used to cry after losing. He also called Gambhir polite and pointed out that the former cricketer has shaped the careers of many youngsters.

"Gautam Gambhir is a kid. Even today he is like an innocent kid. He has no malice. He is like a 12-year-old kid. People think he is arrogant, but that is his attitude towards winning. I used to make him play matches after nets and he would cry after losing matches. He did not like losing even back then," Bharadwaj told former India Under-19 World Cup winner Manjot Kalra on his YouTube show.

"So, a person with a true personality as him will obviously remain serious. If you get in your comfort zone, if you're smiling all the time, you will you win. A person who understands how to win should know how to avoid defeat. People think he has attitude, this and that. No, Gambhir is pure at heart. He is polite; has made the careers of so many youngsters," he added.

Gambhir is currently serving as the head coach of the Indian team. Last month, he replaced Rahul Dravid as the head coach. In his first assignment, Team India whitewashed Sri Lanka in the T20I series and are currently involved in the ODI series. India are trailing the series 1-0 and will be looking to win the third game to avoid a series defeat.