India star spinner Ravichandran Ashwin revealed in an interview that India captain Rohit Sharma and head coach had a key difference in leadership styles, which could benefit the national team during their reign.
While Rohit is generally considered to be easy-going and master tactician, Gambhir’s passion and aggressiveness is known to be the general perception of the two individuals in public.
Their first series that kicked off the captain-coach partnership did not end well as the lost the ODI series against Sri Lanka 0-2, however, the real test begins with the three Test series lined up in the upcoming season.
The Indian team will face Bangladesh, New Zealand and Australia, in Test Cricket this year as they hectic Test season is scheduled to kick off on September 19 and last until the first week of January 2025.
BET NOW: Exclusive sign-up offers and bonuses when you bet on cricket action
What is the key difference in leadership styles of Rohit Sharma and Gautam Gambhir, according to Ravichandran Ashwin?
Gambhir who is known to be straightforward and intense in his opinions is a contrast from the previous head coach Rahul Dravid, who relied more on being composed and empathetic to the players.
Speaking to journalist Vimal Kumar ahead of the Duleep Trophy season prior to the Bangladesh Test series, Ravichandran Ashwin shared his thoughts about the leadership styles and working of the two individuals, Rohit and Gambhir.
“Gauti bhai is very intense. There are similarities between Rohit and Gauti bhai’s leadership, but Rohit keeps it light. Gauti bhai is an intense person.”
Further expanding on his assessment of the captain and coach, Ashwin revealed that every leader has different personalities and that not everyone needs to be cool like MS Dhoni to become successful.
MORE: Gavaskar makes bold prediction about India vs Australia Test series
Gambhir while he has not held the permanent position as captain of the Indian team, is still a revered figure for his achievements with the Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League (IPL) where he led KKR to two championship titles and once as a mentor.
“He [Gambhir] is very passionate about Indian cricket, just like Rahul [Dravid] bhai. Both are very passionate about Indian cricket, but we believe both are different. Yes, they have different personalities. But people are like, ‘MS Dhoni was cool, so everyone should be cool’. It isn’t like that. Everyone has their own methods, and we should encourage that,” Ashwin added.
Rohit on the other hand, has five IPL titles as captain with the Mumbai Indians, with a lot of factors going in his favour at the MI franchise.
The Rohit-Gambhir partnership is expected to be an interesting one as both individuals have tasted plenty of success in their career and they also share good respect among their peers. Despite contrasting personalities, the two complement each other really well.
MORE: No Rohit Sharma? Gambhir names his all-time India ODI XI
