The evening before the high-voltage clash against Pakistan in Colombo last month, Gautam Gambhir had sent word that he would meet the media after practice as a friendly gesture.
The Team India head coach exchanged greetings and happily posed for photographs ahead of such a crucial encounter. He never showed any signs of cold vibes or stubbornness that have often been attributed to him.
With a wide grin spread across his face, he showed the traits of a very down-to-earth and affable person. He is unlike any champion cricketer or coach who will have a veil of inaccessibility around him. A former member of Parliament from east Delhi, Gambhir still runs a community kitchen there for the needy and downtrodden.
Perhaps it is this philosophy in his life that has prompted him to banish the star culture in Indian cricket. The T20 World Cup win captures this changing mindset where no individual, not even the magician in Jasprit Bumrah, could be portrayed as the face of the side. It’s more of a collective achievement where every player played their part in the triumph.
Surya doesn’t want himself to be called a “captain”, but wants to be a “leader”. In the words of Gambhir, “a leader is a far bigger figure, a father figure in a dressing room than a captain”.
Gambhir realises the impact of Bumrah and his contribution, but to him none is bigger than the team. The fast bowler is more of a big brother in the dressing room whose voice counts and has his elevated place in the hierarchy. But he has never been a larger-than-life megastar who grabs all the limelight.
Gambhir had never been averse to taking bold decisions in his playing career too. As captain of KKR, he had dropped Brendon McCullum to include an unheralded Manvinder Bisla in the 2012 IPL final.
The opener’s 89 off 48 balls earned them their maiden crown against Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s CSK.
If there has been any individual who Gambhir has always looked up to, it has to be Bhagat Singh. The biography of the freedom fighter always excites him and he always carries it with him on tours.
“I have never hero-worshipped anyone except for Bhagat Singh... You’ve got to treat everyone in the dressing room the same way, that’s the most important culture,” Gambhir has stayed true to his words.
Talk about milestones and nothing irritates him more than this aspect. Surya may have been the leader but Gambhir has brought about a cultural shift in the mindset of the players.
“For too long in Indian cricket, we’ve spoken about milestones. And I hope, till I’m there, we’re not going to talk about milestones,” the head coach said after the victory.
The head coach loves putting across Sanju Samson’s contribution in the last three matches in the World Cup — 97 not out, 89 and 89 — and the way Surya and he have brought about a change in the mindset.
“If someone is batting on 94, does he have the courage to go and get 100 next ball, rather than thinking about getting 100 in another three or four balls... sometimes it’s very difficult to change that mindset. But all of them in the dressing room bought into that mindset. And that is where the result is,” Gambhir said.
“The only way you could do it is when you’re putting your team ahead of your own self and everyone in that dressing room was putting the team ahead of himself.”
In both the semi-final and final, Samson had fallen attempting to hit sixes and on both occasions India reached 250-plus totals.
“Imagine if you would have been playing for a milestone, probably we wouldn’t have got 250. So I think this is for you guys (media) as well. Stop celebrating milestones, celebrate trophies,” Gambhir said.
He showed faith in Samson and Abhishek Sharma and both have repaid the trust showered on them. He always allows the players a free run and never drops them on the basis of a few poor performances. He trusts their abilities and never looks for short-term gains.
Players know this and always believes in his words. They know they will never be dumped unceremoniously.
The Man of the Match in the 2011 World Cup final never joined the celebrations in the team room once they returned to their Colaba hotel because he had been “too tired after being on the field for almost 90 overs”. His then teammates still tease him for skipping the party.
It was no surprise then that Gambhir stayed away from the festivities on Sunday night and preferred to spend quality time with his family. Perhaps behind the scenes, he will be silently plotting India’s next move.
The white-ball revolution done, he will want to reclaim glory in the red-ball
format too.