"There's an aura right there" - Gautam Gambhir's 'biggest quality' revealed by Venkatesh Iyer

Gautam Gambhir has already won his first T20I series as a coach with a game to spare. Venkatesh Iyer, a key component for KKR over the years has now shed light on what makes Gambhir a special mentor.

Gautam Gambhir made use of a few of his KKR tactics that brought success to him in his first assignment as Team India's head coach. He maintained a left-right combination in the batting order in both the T20Is so far and has made the best use of his bowling resources.

Riyan Parag's bowling and picking up wickets has been an evident example of how Gambhir is a brilliant reader of the game and the conditions. He is also very straightforward and intense in his coaching style something that Iyer got a taste of earlier this year with KKR.

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Venkatesh Iyer recalled Gambhir's message to the team after their loss to Punjab Kings in IPL 2024. The Kings chased down 262 against KKR which is the all-time highest chase in T20s.

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Iyer spoke about how straightforward Gambhir was with his response after KKR's loss. It was after that match against Punjab Kings that KKR won all their matches on the trot leading into the final. In the final against SRH, Gambhir's KKR registered their third title win.

"We were all in shock, but what he told us was absolute truth. He told us that we didn't bowl and we didn't stick to our plans. The meeting we had that day was revolutionary because after that meeting, it's our bowling that won us all the games in the IPL. That is a day that every KKR player remembers because that's when things started to turn around for us," Iyer recalled.

Iyer further recalled how Gambhir came up to him and patted his back when the southpaw was sent to bat at number seven after scoring a fifty in his previous match against RCB batting at number three.

"For a mentor to come and talk to me like that means a lot. And also before the season, the way he spoke to me, the way he handled me - because I did not score a lot in the practice games, but he still gave me the confidence to go out there and express myself in the tournament," Iyer said further on Gambhir's class.

Venkatesh Iyer Praises Gautam Gambhir's Unparalled Dedication Towards His Tas At Hand

The KKR all-rounder further said that Gautam Gambhir stands out with the number of coaches he has worked with as he understands when to push a player and when to show empathy towards him.

"The biggest quality of GG sir is his passion and his unparalleled dedication towards the task in hand," he says. "There's an aura right there, which kind of makes you place the team ahead of you, and that's his biggest quality," said Venkatesh Iyer in his interaction with ESPNCricinfo.

Gambhir's stint as the Indian head coach will run through till the end of the 2027 ODI World Cup. His biggest challenge in the meantime will be to ensure a smooth transition for the Indian team across formats. He has made a good start with the T20I team but his real challenge will be against Australia in the Test series later this year followed by how he tackles BCCI's stand on Champions Trophy 2025.

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