New Delhi: Gautam Gambhir is all set to herald a new era for the Indian national cricket team. The new head coach’s first assignment is to lead a brand-new side to the Sri Lanka tour. Gambhir has received a lot of condemnation from all the cricketing circles with people pointing fingers at the former left-hand batsman for all the captaincy confusion in the T20I side.

However, former Indian cricketer, Dinesh Karthik, who played alongside Gambhir during the 2007 T20 World Cup has a different opinion of the entire thing. According to Karthik, Gambhir will bring a positive environment and a change in the aura which is required in the dressing room currently.

Earlier, Gambhir was made the head coach of the Indian national cricket team after several weeks of rumours of such an imminent possibility. Gambhir took over the coaching responsibilities from Rahul Dravid who took a backseat after winning the T20 World Cup with the national side.

New drama awaits us!😂#GautamGambhir pic.twitter.com/W3M7EeYbY4

— FairWin247 (@FairWin_247) July 21, 2024

Why is DK hopeful about Gambhir’s coaching?

According to DK, Gambhir has good leadership skills which he showcased during his IPL tenure as captain and mentor of Kolkata Knight Riders. However, Karthik believes that Gambhir will bring in two important changes along with his coaching.

The first thing that DK believes Gambhir will bring is a sense of ‘protection’ for the Indian players from the prying eyes of the media. DK has called Gambhir a “players’ man” who will go to any extent to protect his players from media scrutiny. In a sector where performance at both international and domestic circuits is scrutinised to the last bit, the side of the players becomes necessary.

12 Years ago Gautam Gambhir on Rohit Sharma. pic.twitter.com/Yn8nKbdq81

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Furthermore, Karthik believes that Gambhir will bring in a new ‘tactical’ tweak to the Indian team. “A very fierce, intense guy..” DK remarks that Gambhir knows what it means to “play for the team.” Subsequently, DK feels that Gambhir is best suited to lead this young Indian side brimming with talent.

India Tour of Sri Lanka: Schedule

Gautam Gambhir’s first assignment is to win in Sri Lanka. The schedule of the upcoming tour is as follows:

T20I Schedule

ODI Schedule