India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir has spoken about his coaching philosophy and his collaborative relationship with captain Suryakumar Yadav, emphasizing that the captain embodies the spirit of T20 cricket. Gambhir’s primary function, as he sees it, is to offer fair and game-informed advice to Suryakumar. The captain-coach duo has significantly impacted India’s T20I performance since Gambhir’s appointment post the 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup, marked by an aggressive batting style, consistent series wins, and the recent T20 Asia Cup title in the UAE. Their next assignment is a five-match T20I series against Australia.
“Surya is a great human being, and good humans make good leaders,” Gambhir commented, highlighting Suryakumar’s character. He further defined his role: “My role is simply to advise him fairly based on my reading of the game. Ultimately, this is his team.” Gambhir feels Suryakumar’s energetic and free-flowing personality is a perfect fit for T20 cricket, fostering an atmosphere of freedom and expression that has been beneficial for the team over the past 1.5 years.
Gambhir revealed their strategic core principle: a commitment to fearlessness. “From our first conversation, we agreed: we will not fear losing,” he stated. “I don’t aim to be the most successful coach; I want us to be the most fearless team.” This directive encourages players to play aggressively and take calculated risks, understanding that mistakes are permissible in the pursuit of a bold brand of cricket, especially in high-pressure moments.
Concerns about Suryakumar Yadav’s recent batting form are minimal for Gambhir, given the team’s dedication to an ‘ultra-aggressive template.’ He acknowledged that this approach inherently leads to periods of failure. “It would be easy for Surya to score 40 runs off 30 balls and avoid criticism, but we have collectively decided that it’s acceptable to fail while pursuing this approach,” Gambhir explained. He pointed to the strong current form of Abhishek Sharma and expressed confidence in Suryakumar’s ability to find his scoring touch. Gambhir concluded by emphasizing that the ultimate goal in T20s is the ‘brand of cricket’ played and the impact created, rather than just individual run tallies, when adopting their aggressive strategy.