Former Zimbabwe cricketer Andy Flower has reacted to the appointment of Gautam Gambhir as the head coach of the Indian national cricket team. He said that the new coach of the Indian team is a proud Indian and loves Indian cricket.
The Indian national cricket team has finally got a new head coach as Rahul Dravid’s tenure as the head coach has ended. The Board of Control for Cricket in India has hired Gautam Gambhir as the new head coach after many reports surfaced regarding his appointment as the head coach of the team.
Gautam Gambhir, who was a fierce player during his playing days, will take charge of the team that is currently touring Sri Lanka. The Men in Blue will travel to the island nation for the three ODIs and three T20Is later this month and mark a new era in Indian cricket.
Gautam Gambhir has been playing mentoring roles in the Indian Premier League for the past few years. For two years, he played the role of Lucknow Super Giants and guided them to the playoffs. After that, he moved to Kolkata Knight Riders and guided them to the title win. The team was struggling to take off for the past few years and he changed the dynamics of the team.
Andy Flower, who worked with Gautam Gambhir at LSG, while speaking about his appointment as head coach, stated that the former India captain has a clear vision. He backed the former Kolkata Knight Riders mentor to be a successful coach of the Indian team and added that Gambhir would take them to new heights. Speaking to Sony Sports, he explained:
“Well, the first thing he has to do is put his cricket legend aside at this point. Gautam Gambhir is a great man, I really enjoyed working with him. He has strong opinions, he has clear views on the game.
“He is very determined, he is a very proud Indian, he loves Indian cricket and his position, representing Indian cricket. I think it is a good appointment and I think he will be successful.”
He is a very good choice for the job – Abhinav Mukund on Gautam Gambhir
Abhinav Mukund, who also participated in the debate, spoke on the same and stated that Gautam Gambhir is a good choice for the position. He pointed out how young players view him and stated that the KKR mentor would want to continue the legacy of the team. He said:
“He’s a very good choice for the job. A lot of these young players look up to him and respect him. He’s very clever on the pitch, we’ve seen him as captain, but now more so as a coach, and he’s led the team to success after 10 years.”
“I’m sure you’re thinking that I want to continue with this legacy. I won a World Cup, we’re going to win many more in the next two or three years,” he concluded.