The Indian cricket team ushered into a new era with Gautam Gambhir taking over as the men’s cricket team head coach. His tenure began on a mixed note as the men in blue swept the T20I series 3-0 against Sri Lanka before succumbing to a 0-2 defeat in the ODIs.
Gambhir’s passion for the game isn’t new to cricket fans and his approach has been contrasting with his predecessor – Rahul Dravid, who passed the baton to Gambhir after the T20 World Cup victory in the Caribbean. The former opener also shares a unique bond with several current players having been their former teammate.
One of his former teammates, Aakash Chopra recalled the early days when they competed against each other to find a spot in the Delhi team. The rivalry pushed them to elevate their games. Speaking to YouTuber Raj Shamani on a podcast, Chopra opened up about how Gambhir showcased hunger and aggression during his playing days that define him today.
“We were competitors, fighting for one place. We had a very good team. When we were playing, either Kohli or Dhawan could get a chance in the line-up. The team was like that. In fact, there was no place for even Viru [Virender Sehwag] to open the batting,” recalled Chopra in a podcast with Raj Shamani on YouTube.
“We were competitors to begin with. He [Gambhir] 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,” said Chopra further.
Gambhir fought with a truck driver
Gambhir has been fierce for ages and Chopra shared an interesting anecdote in which Gambhir had a spat with a truck driver.
“He has always been like that temperamentally. You never know when he loses his cool. He used to tell us that he fought with a truck driver. He got off his vehicle, climbed up the truck and held the driver’s collar because he overtook,” Chopra said.
“I told him, ‘What are you doing, Gauti? He’s a truck driver… Tu ittu saa hai (You are such a short guy),” he added.
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Born with a golden spoon
Chopra further revealed that Gambhir was from a wealthy family and he never needed to rely on cricket for financial stability. Yet his commitment to the game was massive.
“He’s a good-hearted guy who comes from a very affluent family. For that kid to have that kind of passion… he would be on 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,” said Chopra.
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