Former India captain Ravi Shastri expects Gautam Gambhir to flourish in his new role as head coach, saying he is a "contemporary" mentor who has taken over the reigns of a relatively "mature and settled" team.
Shastri, a former India coach, believes the 42-year-old Gambhir can make an immediate impact in his new role as he is already close to the team, having played with and mentored quite a few players.
The former left-handed opener served as a team mentor for Lucknow Super Giants and Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL.
"He's (Gambhir) contemporary, he just had a great season in the IPL. I think he's the right age where he's young, he'll come with fresh ideas. He knows most of the players, especially in the white-ball format, having been part of teams in the IPL. So I think it's refreshing," Shastri said on the recent episode of The ICC Review.
"And we know with Gautam, he's a no-nonsense guy. He'll have his ideas as well. And the good thing for him is he's got a mature team. He's got a settled team, a mature team. I think even though you might think you're mature, you might benefit from some fresh ideas. So I think it'll be interesting times." Shastri feels managing the workload of players, especially bowlers, will be Gambhir's biggest challenge.
"Obviously, player management becomes the key as a coach. So it'll be interesting to see how he goes. I think he's got the tools, he's got the goods for the job and he's got the experience." Gambhir's first assignment as India coach is the white-ball series in Sri Lanka which starts with a three-match T20 series in Pallekele on Saturday. With stalwarts Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja retiring from the shortest format after last month's T20 World Cup triumph, Gambhir's other task would be find to find replacements for the trio.
"There's so many (good India) players out there and it's just about getting the right mix. I think a lot of the players that won this T20 World Cup will still be around two years later (at the 2026 T20 World Cup)," Shastri said.
"You mentioned the three players who were retired, but barring them, I think most of the others will be still fit to be in that T20 World Cup team two years down the line in India." The former India cricketer feels there will be problem of plenty for Gambhir.
"I don't think there's much to be done there. In fact, you will get a problem on your hands because you'll have to choose from the new lot that's coming and there's some real exciting talent there." "It's the other way around. It's how do you get those guys in there that they're bursting at the scenes to get it. There's a queue out there and that will be his biggest challenge, but it's a good headache when you have that kind of talent." Player management is another aspect which will be pivotal to Gambhir's success, believes Shastri.
"It's a question of just understanding his players as quickly as possible. What their strengths are, what kind of human beings they are and what kind of temperaments do they have? What are their personalities? A lot goes behind the scenes to understand a human being," he said.
"I think that will be his most important task, which I think again should not be a problem because he's contemporary. He's seen these guys from the outside, he's dealt with a lot of guys who might have played with KKR as well and for Lucknow (Super Giants) when he was there.
"And he's been around the circuit, the moment he finished cricket and that was not too long ago, he still is around, plays a lot of the legends cricket as well."
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