"It's about Indian cricket, not who the Coach is"- Sanjay Manjrekar fires shots at Gautam Gambhir

As Gautam Gambhir gears up for his debut match as head coach of the Indian cricket team, former cricketer and commentator Sanjay Manjrekar has delivered a scathing assessment of the ongoing hype surrounding the former batter and former head coach Rahul Dravid.

Manjrekar has urged fans, players, and broadcasters not to be selective with their expectations as Gambhir, who takes over from Rahul Dravid, is stepping into a significant role with huge anticipation and scrutiny surrounding his appointment as head coach of Team India.

Sanjay Manjrekar slams hype around Gautam Gambhir; says focus should be on Team India, not Individuals

The commentator stressed that the focus should remain on the Indian cricket team as a whole rather than on individuals or the new coach Gambhir. Manjrekar pointed out that the success of Indian cricket is not solely attributed to any one individual, including the coach, but to the collective efforts of the team.

Gambhir is a two-time World Cup winner and a prominent figure in Indian cricket, but the sport is fundamentally about the collective success of the team, not just the coach, according to Manjrekar.

The former Indian batter also pointed out that India’s four World Cup victories have come because of the team, not the coaches, targeting Dravid, who recently won the ICC T20 World Cup 2024.

Dravid had finished his tenure as India’s head coach on a high note, breaking the Men in Blue’s 11-year ICC title drought by clinching the T20 World Cup 2024 title in Barbados. Under Dravid, the India team also reached the World Test Championship final and the ODI World Cup final in 2013.

However, Manjrekar said it is not about the coach but Indian cricket which won the four World Cups, urging one and all to shift their focus from individual profiles to the collective team performance.

India won World Cups without coaches: Sanjay Manjrekar criticizes obsession with coaches

He pointed out that India’s first two World Cup victories have come in eras where coaching roles were not always filled by specialized coaches in the 1983 World Cup and the 2007 T20 World Cup.

He shared his thoughts via a social media post on Saturday (July 27) morning ahead of the first T20I against Sri Lanka, where Gambhir’s second innings will begin with Team India.

Sanjay Manjrekar posted on X: “No coach, Lalchand Rajput, Gary Kirsten & Dravid. Coaches when India won WCs in 1983, 2007, 2011, & 2023. It’s really about Indian cricket, not who the coach is. Time we stop thinking there is a direct correlation.”

No coach, Lalchand Rajput, Gary Kirsten & Dravid. Coaches when India won WCs in 1983, 2007, 2011 & 2023.
It’s really about Indian cricket, not who the coach is. Time we stop thinking there is a direct correlation.

— Sanjay Manjrekar (@sanjaymanjrekar) J<!---->u<!---->l<!---->y<!----> <!---->2<!---->7<!---->,<!----> <!---->2<!---->0<!---->2<!---->4

Notably, the legendary all-rounder and former captain Kapil Dev lifted the ODI World Cup in 1983 by crushing the formidable West Indies without a head coach. However, India then had to wait for 24 years to win their second World Cup.

Well, MS Dhoni’s charismatic captaincy guided the young Indian team to the title triumph in the first-ever T20 World Cup in 2007. However, this time also, there was no head coach for India, as Greg Chappell was sacked as head coach, and Dhoni’s team went to South Africa with Lalchand Rajput as the team director.

Well, Gary Kirsten and Dravid were at the helm when India won the 2011 ODI World Cup and the 2024 T20 World Cup.