Gautam Gambhir’s aggression has generally come out in protection of his players: Dinesh Karthik

Former India international Dinesh Karthik stated that Gautam Gambhir’s aggression generally comes out to protect his players. The current India head coach previously had a massive fallout with Virat Kohli during IPL 2023, when Gambhir wanted to protect his player Naveen-ul-Haq against the RCB star. He also has a track record of on-field spats against the likes of Shahid Afridi and Kamran Akmal.

Karthik believes that Gambhir’s approach will benefit the team and the current lot of players will enjoy working with him. He noted that the Delhi-born cricketer won’t mince words at times and that might even bring out the best in a player which will only help the national team win more matches and medals.

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“His (Gambhir) aggression has generally come out in protection of his players and that is something the current lot of players will enjoy. He is not someone who gets angry for the heck of it. I'm sure he will have his turn with strong words for whoever it is required, and it is in his best interest to get the best out of the players,” Karthik told reporters on the sidelines of a Legends League Cricket event.

The Test series will be completely new for him: Karthik

Gambhir has done a commendable job as the mentor of Lucknow Super Giants and Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL but he has never coached a team before, especially in Test cricket. Karthik believes that the upcoming two-match Test series against Bangladesh will be a new challenge for the southpaw and that he is eager to see how Gambhir runs the show in red-ball cricket.

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“He has been a part of numerous T20 tournaments. But this Test series will be completely new for him as a coach and it must be playing at the back of his mind. He is someone who has navigated through tough waters. He's got the acumen to understand the pulse of the game, which is extremely important as a coach. He is at a very early stage as a coach, so it will be interesting how it pans out. However, I have confidence that he will deliver on all aspects. So far, it has worked well for him," Karthik added.