Apart from his batting exploits for Team India and his other achievements as a cricketer, India head coach Gautam Gambhir is also known for living up to his surname.

The former India opener’s surname literally means ‘serious’ and he loves to keep a straight face at all times. Gautam Gambhir is rarely seen smiling, leading many to believe that the Indian all-rounder does not like to show his emotions. However, Gautam Gambhir’s real personality is completely different, according to his coach Sanjay Bharadwaj.

Bharadwaj has said that the former cricketer’s relentless pursuit of excellence and his winning attitude have created a wrong image of his personality among people. The coach said that people have mistaken Gambhir’s winning attitude for arrogance.

‘Gautam Gambhir is like an innocent child’

Bharadwaj, who received the Dronacharya Award in 2019, recalled his journey with Gambhir, which began more than three decades ago. He said Gambhir had a hard time coping with defeats even when he was just 12 or 13 years old.

Bharadwaj revealed that the Indian great, who hardly shows emotion on the field, used to cry after losing. He also called Gambhir polite and pointed out that the former cricketer has shaped the career of many youngsters.

“Gautam Gambhir is a child. Even today, he is like an innocent child. He has no malice. He is like a 12-year-old child. People think he is arrogant but that is his attitude towards winning. I used to make him play matches after goals and he would cry after losing matches. He did not like losing even back then,” Bharadwaj told former India U-19 World Cup champion Manjot Kalra on his YouTube show.

“So, a person with such an authentic personality like his will remain serious. If you stay in your comfort zone, if you smile all the time, you will win. A person who knows how to win must know how to avoid defeat. People think he has attitude, this and that. No, Gambhir is pure at heart. He is polite; he has made the career of so many youngsters,” he added.

Gambhir is currently serving as the head coach of the Indian team. Last month, he replaced Rahul Dravid as the head coach. In his first assignment, Team India whitewashed Sri Lanka in the T20I series and is currently involved in the ODI series. India is trailing the series 1-0 and will look to win the third game to avoid a series defeat.