"Quite abrasive and aggressive" - Gautam Gambhir declared similar to Greg Chappell by Scott Styris

As Gautam Gambhir steps into the role of head coach for the Indian cricket team, former New Zealand cricketer Scott Styris left the cricket world stunned with his bold yet shocking assessment of the “fascinating” appointment ahead of the first T20I against Sri Lanka on July 27.

Gambhir was known for his aggressive and relentless playing style during his playing days, and he is now set to bring his fiery approach to coaching as he is set to make his debut as India coach with the first T20I on the Sri Lanka tour on Saturday in Pallekele.

Scott Styris predicts Gautam Gambhir's aggressive coaching style may cause tensions similar to Greg Chappell's era

Ahead of his coaching debut, Styris predicted that Gambhir would be the same coach as Australian great Greg Chappell, who had a bitter stint with the Indian cricket team and was removed from the position after an infamous fallout with Sourav Ganguly and other senior players.

The former New Zealand bowler compared Gambhir with Chappell for his “very aggressive style,” saying this characteristic didn’t sit well with the senior players like Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, and Harbhajan Singh when the Aussie great was at the helm.

The cricket pundit further went on to claim that Gambhir will be a very strict and belligerent coach like Chappell and said that he will enjoy watching how the two-time World Cup winner turns out as a coach, as he doesn’t think the latter will stay for a longer period of time with the Indian team.

Gautam Gambhir was very abrasive and aggressive like Greg Chappell: Scott Styrish

Scott Styris was quoted as saying by News18: “Gautam Gambhir’s appointment as India head coach is just a fascinating one. I will be sitting there with my popcorn watching this and how it unfolds over the next 12 months or so. In my previous experience, I’ve always found captains will end up coaching just like their captains.

And we all saw the way Gautam Gambhir was a captain. He was very abrasive; he was aggressive; he was all of those things you describe. And I don’t think it’ll be any different as a coach.”

Furthermore, Styris highlighted how Gambhir successfully fostered a strong sense of team unity during his time with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the IPL 2024. This skill is seen as a significant asset for his coaching style, and Styris feels he will apply the same approach to his role with Team India.

If Gautam Gambhir can continue doing what...: Scott Styris

Comparing Gambhir with Chappell, Styris noted: “I look at someone like John Wright when he was in charge of India; he had a very happy dressing room from what we could understand. But then you had Greg Chappell, who was quite abrasive and aggressive, and it didn’t work for those senior players.”

He signed off by saying, “I think Gautam Gambhir will look to get that mix right. He certainly has the experience. He’s an intelligent cricketer. If he can continue doing what he was doing with KKR, then India have got themselves a good coach.”