Shastri reacts to Gambhir's appointment as India's head coach

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Ravi Shastri is confident that Gautam Gambhir will make an immediate impact as India's head coach due to his modern approach and existing rapport with the team.

Shastri emphasized that Gambhir, having recently led the Kolkata Knight Riders to an IPL title, is well-equipped for the role, bringing fresh ideas and energy.

"He's contemporary, he just had a great season in the IPL. I think he's the right age where he's young, he'll come with fresh ideas. He knows most of the players, especially in the white-ball format, having been part of teams in the IPL. So I think it's refreshing,” Shastri said, speaking with host Sanjana Ganesan on the most recent episode of The ICC Review.

"And we know with Gautam, he's a no-nonsense guy. He'll have his ideas as well. And the good thing for him is he's got a mature team. He's got a settled team, a mature team. I think even though you might think you're mature, you might benefit from some fresh ideas. So I think it'll be interesting times.

"Obviously, player management becomes the key as a coach. So it'll be interesting to see how he goes. I think he's got the tools, he's got the goods for the job and he's got the experience."

Gambhir's initial challenge as head coach will be the three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka later this month. Following that, he faces significant tasks like the ICC Champions Trophy next year and qualifying for the 2025 ICC World Test Championship final, which includes the crucial Border-Gavaskar series against Australia in November.

Additionally, Gambhir will need to find replacements for long-time T20I stalwarts Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja, who retired after India’s T20 World Cup victory last month. Shastri acknowledged the abundance of talent in Indian cricket and the challenge of selecting the right mix for future tournaments.

"There's so many (good India) players out there and it's just about getting the right mix," Shastri noted.

"I think a lot of the players that won this T20 World Cup will still be around two years later (at the 2026 T20 World Cup).

"You mentioned the three players who were retired (Rohit, Kohli, Jadeja), but barring them, I think most of the others will be still fit to be in that T20 World Cup team two years down the line in India.

 

"So I don't think there's much to be done there. In fact, you will get a problem on your hands because you'll have to choose from the new lot that's coming and there's some real exciting talent there.

"So I think it's the other way around. It's how do you get those guys in there that they're bursting at the scenes to get it. There's a queue out there and that will be his biggest challenge, but it's a good headache when you have that kind of talent."

Shastri stressed the importance of Gambhir quickly understanding his players' strengths, temperaments, and personalities.

"It's a question of just understanding his players as quickly as possible," Shastri added.

"What their strengths are, what kind of human beings they are and what kind of temperaments do they have? What are their personalities? A lot goes behind the scenes to understand a human being.

"I think that will be his most important task, which I think again should not be a problem because he's contemporary. He's seen these guys from the outside, he's dealt with a lot of guys who might have played with KKR as well and for Lucknow (Super Giants) when he was there.

"And he's been around the circuit, the moment he finished cricket and that was not too long ago, he still is around, plays a lot of the legends cricket as well."