Ravichandran Ashwin heaped praise on Gautam Gambhir during his book launching event in Chennai, sharing his initial talks with Gambhir in 2012.
Ravichandran Ashwin heaped praise on Gautam Gambhir during his book launching event in Chennai, sharing his initial talks with Gambhir in 2012. Ashwin revealed he was playing his first full series for India, for he carried drinks for most of his first two years in international cricket before the World Cup 2011.
Ashwin revealed he was not used to someone giving him as much confidence apart from his state association Tamil Nadu. Further, he labelled Gambhir as a “misunderstood person” and a “fighter”.
“Gautam Gambhir is a very misunderstood person. It’s all about perception. He is a fighter. The biggest issue with many of us is that we give hero status to someone in our minds and forget about everyone else. This is a sport, not a movie narrative. There are no heroes and villains. Gambhir is a competitor. His desire and hunger to win is unbelievable. I have massive respect (for him). Some people don’t laugh, but what can we do about that.”
🗣️ @ashwinravi99 on @GautamGambhir
Gautam is a fighter. A big problem in life is when we consider someone a hero, everyone else becomes a villain. This is not a movie to have a narrative. Gautam Gambhir is a competitor. Some people just don’t smile too much, so..?
Full video:… pic.twitter.com/iKeLBosKO9
— Sportstar (@sportstarweb) June 21, 2024
Not only Ashwin but several other cricketers and coaches have applauded Gambhir’s winning mentality. His hunger to win drove Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to perform exceedingly well and win their third title in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Meanwhile, Gautam Gambhir is set to take over Rahul Dravid as the coach of India Men’s Cricket Team following the T20 World Cup 2024. The official confirmation will come soon, and Gambhir’s tenure might last for four years till 2027.
Few Indian players across formats have played with Gambhir at some point in their careers, which would help them gel with him better and quicker. Ravichandran Ashwin is one of those players who have played ample cricket with Gambhir and knows him quite well.
Even Gambhir has often praised Ashwin and his superior craft with the ball. Both share a strong bond and are never shy of speaking highly about each other, which would work well in Ashwin’s case once Gambhir takes over.
Ashwin is still a vital asset in Test cricket. India have an important Test series in winter later this year, and Ashwin will have to use his experience and step up with the ball.
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