Gautam Gambhir is the new Greg Chappell for Indian cricket? Ex-batter drops bombshell

India's head coach Gautam Gambhir has been facing a lot of criticism lately alongside the captain Rohit Sharma after the team's poor performance in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia. India lost the series 1-3 to the hosts and Gambhir has been at the forefront of the defeat.

The former India opener has been even compared to ex-India head coach Greg Chappell, under whom the team went to a new low. However, Gambhir's former teammate Robin Uthappa has come forward in his defense and revealed that Gambhir is different from Chappell in every aspect.

Greg Chappell was known as a strict taskmaster and his way of coaching didn't quite work out in the Indian team. He had poor relations with then-India captain Sourav Ganguly. But Uthappa feels that Gambhir supports Rohit which makes him different from Chappell.

Also read: Ravi Shastri blamed for Virat Kohli's struggles as Gautam Gambhir faces criticism

Is Gautam Gambhir similar to Greg Chappell? Robin Uthappa responds

While speaking on Lallantop, Robin Uthappa opined that Gautam Gambhir is dissimilar to Greg Chappell. Uthappa believes that Gambhir is very direct with his approach and likes to be straight on point with the players rather than saying something on their backs.

“I disagree with you that his style is similar to Greg Chappell’s. I don’t agree with it at all. I have not met a more straightforward person than Gauti (Gautam Gambhir). He is very direct. You may not like what he says, but he will tell it to you on your face, you can be sure of that and I love people like that," Uthappa explained.

"According to me, these people have a good life. They say whatever they are thinking, and that is enough. You get what you see, that is better than being a different person behind someone’s back. I prefer someone being straightforward with me, and Gauti is very, very straight,” he reckoned.

Gautam Gambhir is known for his straightforward approach and has been credited for many achievements throughout his career. He played a key role in Kolkata Knight Riders' win in IPL 2024 where he was the team's mentor. However, his role as India's head coach is under the scanner after India's poor performances lately.

Gautam Gambhir's relationship with Rohit Sharma

Robin Uthappa further spoke about the relationship of Gautam Gambhir and Rohit Sharma. He claimed that Gambhir and Rohit share a good relationship with each other but might need some time to click together.

“Here they are probably finding the chemistry of the dynamic. It hasn’t been set yet, probably with (Jasprit) Bumrah, he was leading his first Test, so the chemistry was better. Some just probably click and some take some time to click," the former India batter said.

"It is not like the chemistry is not there. It is there and you can see in Gambhir’s interviews. He respects and likes Rohit a lot. Sometimes, relationships take time, as both are leaders with their own styles,” he added.

Even before becoming the head coach, Gautam Gambhir has supported Rohit Sharma and his captaincy. When Rohit dropped himself for the final Test of the series in Sydney recently, Gambhir hailed him for keeping the team in front of him.

Gautam Gambhir and Rohit Sharma are under huge pressure

With a lot happening in Indian cricket, both Gautam Gambhir and Rohit Sharma are under huge pressure to produce the results. India haven't seen much success after their T20 World Cup 2024 win in June last year.

Rohit endured a poor run of form in the recent Border-Gavaskar Trophy, scoring just 31 runs in three Tests at an average of 6.20. Meanwhile, Gautam Gambhir has also been criticized for dropping Rohit Sharma for the Sydney Test and disrespecting him.

Both of them will be focusing on the upcoming Champions Trophy to redeem their careers. The Champions Trophy will begin from February 19 with India playing all of its matches in Dubai.