IND vs BAN: Aakash Chopra drops sensational remarks on Gautam Gambhir: "Born with golden spoon..."

Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra opened up about the intense competition he had with Gautam Gambhir during their playing days. Aakash Chopra said that the Delhi team was strong at that time, and players, including himself and Gautam Gambhir, had to fight for a spot in the playing XI.

Gambhir replaced Rahul Dravid, who concluded his coaching tenure on a high after leading the team to a historic T20 World Cup win in June. Gambhir had a mixed start as coach during the Sri Lanka tour. The Men in Blue won the T20I series 3-0 but suffered a 0-2 loss in the subsequent ODI series.

We Were Fighting For One Place - Aakash Chopra

Speaking to Raj Shamani on his YouTube show, Aakash Chopra highlighted Gautam Gambhir's fierce hunger and aggression. Chopra also said that there was no room for Virender Sehwag to open the batting. He added that Sehwag batted at No. 4 to accommodate either Shikhar Dhawan or Virat Kohli.

“We are competitors because we were fighting for one place. Our team was very good. When we were playing, only one of Kohli and Dhawan got the chance to play," Chopra said.

"The team was like that. In fact, there was no place for even Viru to open the batting. Viru batted four so that we can accommodate one of Shikhar and Virat at 3,” he added.

We Were Competitors To Begin With - Aakash Chopra

Aakash Chopra was open about his early relationship with Gautam Gambhir. The cricketer-turned-commentator admitted that they were not friends at the beginning. Chopra described Gambhir as a passionate, hardworking cricketer who was very serious about his craft.

“We were competitors to begin with. He wasn't a friend, to be honest. (But he was a) very passionate guy, very hard working, and very serious about his craft,” Chopra stated further.

"And he scored a lot of runs. But he always wore his heart on the sleeve, was extremely passionate, and could short-fuse very quickly in terms of temperament,” he added.

Gautam Gambhir Comes From A Very Affluent family - Aakash Chopra

The former Indian opener said that Gautam Gambhir had intense passion and commitment to cricket, despite coming from a wealthy background. Chopra said that Gambhir didn’t need cricket for financial reasons but was dedicated to the game and spent long hours on the ground.

“He's a good hearted guy, comes from a very affluent family. For that kid to have that kind of passion... he would be at the ground the whole day. He was born with a golden spoon, not even silver. It's a different journey, basically like Abhinav Bindra. Gautam has the heart at the right place,” said Chopra.

Gambhir will start his head coach role in the Test format during the upcoming two-match home series against Bangladesh. The first Test match will be played at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, starting on Thursday, September 19.

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