"Gautam Gambhir told me long back that Rohit Sharma will"- Gambhir's childhood coach's jaw-dropping revelation

Gautam Gambhir's childhood coach, Sanjay Bharadwaj, said that the former India opener predicted long ago that Rohit Sharma would become a great player. Sanjay Bharadwaj said that Gautam Gambhir can bring out the best in his players, recalling his encouragement of both Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.

Gautam Gambhir expressed pride in serving as India's head coach after his appointment. Gambhir had a successful stint as the mentor of the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL 2024. The Shreyas Iyer-led team secured the title in the tournament, which boosted Gambhir's candidacy to succeed Rahul Dravid.

Dravid concluded his tenure with Team India by guiding them to their long-awaited World Cup title. The Cricket Advisory Committee, including Ashok Malhotra, Jatin Paranjape, and Sulakshana Naik, recommended Gambhir for the prestigious role. Gambhir will have to match Dravid's legacy as head coach.

Gautam Gambhir Has Played With Virat Kohli And Rohit Sharma - Sanjay Bharadwaj

Speaking to news agency PTI, Sanjay Bharadwaj said that Gautam Gambhir can lead Team India to great heights. Bharadwaj highlighted Gambhir's prediction of Rohit Sharma's future success during a challenging period for him, which ultimately proved accurate.

"He has played with Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in the past. Long back, he had once given his 'Man of the Match' to Virat. That shows his golden heart. He told me long back that Rohit Sharma will become a great player one day. This was when Rohit was not among the runs and needed some encouragement. His observation about Rohit proved accurate," Bhardwaj said.

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli retired from T20I cricket following India's triumph in the T20 World Cup. They will focus on playing in ODIs and Test cricket. Gambhir has the responsibility to lead India to success in upcoming ICC events such as the 2025 Champions Trophy and the World Test Championship final.

Gautam Gambhir Will Be Firm On That Decision - Sanjay Bharadwaj

Gambhir's childhood coach emphasized that the former Indian opener could coach the Indian team without any favoritism. Bharadwaj stated that Gambhir prioritizes team success over personal preferences and focuses on forming a strong team combination.

"If Gautam ever feels that something is right for the team, he will be firm on that decision. Gautam plays to win. He knows what to do and focuses on having a set team combination. He doesn't believe in favoritism; the only thing that is his favorite is cricket," Bharadwaj added.

Gautam Gambhir's first assignment as Team India's head coach will be overseeing the upcoming white-ball series against Sri Lanka. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are likely to be rested during this series. Gambhir is slated to coach the Indian team across all formats for a tenure of three and a half years.

The Delhi-born cricketer lacks prior coaching experience despite mentoring IPL teams like the Kolkata Knight Riders to success in IPL 2024. He needs to take lessons from Rahul Dravid's management style during his successful tenure with Team India to navigate this high-pressure role.

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