IND vs SA 2025: ‘I’ve known him as an emotional player…generally an emotional coach is not a good thing to have’ - Former South African captain

Former South African captain AB de Villiers shared his views on India's head coach Gautam Gambhir, who has been at the receiving end of criticism after the Men in Blue were whitewashed by the Proteas in a two-match Test series earlier this week.

According to de Villiers, Gambhir was very emotional as a player. The cricketer-turned-expert said that if he continues to be an emotional coach, it might not bode well for the Indian team. De Villiers said that some players feel more comfortable around a head coach who is a former cricketer, while others will open up more to someone with years of coaching experience.

“Speaking on behalf of the Indian side, it’s really difficult. I don’t know what GG is like when it comes to leadership. I’ve known him as an emotional player and if that is the case in the change room, generally an emotional coach is not a good thing to have. But it’s not to say he’s that kind of a coach and the kind of leader behind the scenes. There’s no right and wrong. Some players will feel comfortable with a former player. Some players will be comfortable with a coach that’s never played the game before but he’s got a lot of years of experience of coaching the game,” De Villiers said on R Ashwin’s YouTube channel.

De Villiers said that he loved playing under Gary Kirsten, who is among the finest South African openers of all time.

“It’s a tough question because I’ve never played under Shukri and I’ve never been in the Indian dressing room with GG, Morne Morkel and Ryan ten Doeschate. It looks great on paper but I don’t know what the dynamic is like behind the scenes. What I can say is it is different for every player. I absolutely love playing under Gary Kirsten; he’s a former player and similar to Gautam Gambhir. Some players might find confidence and feel comfortable with a former player being there, a great of the game and find some extra inspiration to put extra yards for the team and for the coach,” de Villiers said.

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India will look to bounce back strongly during the three-match ODI series against South Africa. The first game takes place at the JSCA International Stadium Complex in Ranchi on November 30.