“I was surprised, could have been angry…”: Gautam Gambhir's message changed the philosophy of the Indian star

Gautam Gambhir has made his best record as a player and coach. He played an important role in helping the Indian cricket team win the 2007 T20 World Cup and the 2011 ODI World Cup. In the IPL, he led Kolkata Knight Riders to the title. Then he did very well as a mentor of many IPL teams like Lucknow Super Giants and KKR. Now Gambhir is the coach of the Indian cricket team. The next few months will be very important for him as India is embarking on a mission.

Gambhir is known for his straight talk. Manan Vohra, a well-known name in the Indian domestic cricket circuit, was part of the LSG during the 2022 and 2023 seasons – when Gambhir was the mentor. He revealed an interesting conversation with Gambhir after he was selected for just one match.

“I went to Gambhir and spoke to him. He told me, 'You are batting well.' Then I told him I want to talk to you. I told him I got a chance to play just one match and I was dropped from the team. I am batting well and anyone can get out in one match and that too was a washout game,” he told Taruwar Kohli on his YouTube channel.

“He answered me in a very clear, sweet and simple way and said, 'Life is different for everyone; some players get eight matches, some just one. It's not like everyone gets the same number of matches, but if you get one match, you have to do it in that one match, end of story,' and I was stunned. I could have been angry, but I realised the depth of that conversation when he said that if you are that good, even if you get one match, you have to prove yourself and move forward'. That conversation is about two years old. But my philosophy has changed since then.”