Gambhir doesn't expect players to do something he won't do: Jonty Rhodes

Gautam Gambhir had a mixed start to his coaching tenure with the Indian cricket team. The Men in Blue whitewashed Sri Lanka in a three-match T20I series before going down 0-2 in the ODI series. Jonty Rhodes, who worked with Gambhir at Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023, asserted that the 42-year-old will take India to great heights with time.

Rhodes, who will serve as the brand ambassador for Pro Cricket League, spoke on the sidelines of the tournament's pre-launch in New Delhi about India's new head coach. The Pietermaritzberg-born recalled how Gambhir, the mentor of LSG in IPL 2023, played more of a role in the decision-making after captain KL Rahul was injured during the season.

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"It is fascinating because, you know, I only had the one season with GG [Gambhir] at LSG where he was the mentor and and KL [Rahul] had a very bad thigh strain halfway through the tournament. So, GG certainly was a lot more from a mentor point of view. Got a lot more in involved with decision-making, what was going on," Rhodes was quoted as saying by India Today.

"And I know how passionate he is. You know, he looks for excellence on and off the field, but he doesn't expect players to do something that he never did or he won't do. So. I think from that point of view, he's somebody who's not gonna be lenient with anybody unless it's required because he's expecting," he added.

Rhodes also spoke about Gambhir's hunger to win games for his side. The former noted that when a leadership change occurs, a bit of adjustment is required and it needs time. Rhodes backed Gambhir to go from strength to strength in his coaching career, especially with the kind of talent he has at his disposal.

"He just wants excellence. I mean, he wants the team to win, and it's not for his record or for what he can achieve. Every team that he's involved in, he's wanted to win desperately, and you see the way that he bats, the way that he captains. He's so passionate, so involved in the game," Rhodes said.

"I think any time there's a change, whether it be the leadership from a captaincy point of view or from a coach and management, it's going to take an adjustment. So you know, once they find their feet, we know India has the strength and the talent pool and the depth of talent to certainly allow him to hit the ground and pick up speed very quickly in his coaching career," the 55-year-old added.

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India will return to action later this month when they host Bangladesh for a two-match Test series, starting September 19. The first game will be played in Chennai followed by the second in Kanpur. After the red-ball series, the two teams will compete in three T20Is, which will be held in Gwalior, Delhi, and Hyderabad, respectively.