Gautam Gambhir, the former Indian men’s cricket team head coach, has often been portrayed as an enigmatic figure. During his playing career, Gambhir’s fiery demeanor and unwavering passion were evident on the field. He played a pivotal role in some of India’s most memorable victories, particularly in ICC events.
Gambhir’s contributions to India’s triumph in the 2007 ICC World T20 and the 2011 ODI World Cup were instrumental. He emerged as one of India’s most reliable match-winners, but his path to the top was not without challenges.
Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra, who also opened the batting during his playing days, shed light on the intense competition within the Indian team at the time. To accommodate talented batters, drastic changes were made, even demoting Virender Sehwag to the No. 4 spot.
“We were competitors because we were fighting for one place. Our team was very good. When we were playing, only one of Kohli and Dhawan got the chance to play. The team was like that. In fact, there was no place for even Viru to open the batting. Viru batted four so that we can accommodate one of Shikhar and Virat at 3,” Chopra recalled in a podcast with Raj Shamani on YouTube.
Chopra acknowledged that he and Gambhir were not close friends due to the intense competition for opening spots. However, he recognized Gambhir’s unwavering passion and dedication.
“We were competitors to begin with. He wasn’t a friend, to be honest. (But he was a) very passionate guy, very hard working, and very serious about his craft. And he scored a lot of runs. But he always wore his heart on the sleeve, was extremely passionate, and could short-fuse very quickly in terms of temperament,” Chopra further revealed.
Despite his fiery nature, Chopra emphasized Gambhir’s kind-heartedness and humble upbringing. “He’s a good hearted guy, comes from a very affluent family. For that kid to have that kind of passion… he would be at the ground the whole day. He was born with a golden spoon, not even silver. It’s a different journey, basically like Abhinav Bindra. Gautam has the heart at the right place,” Chopra asserted.
