India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir has spoken about his leadership philosophy and his dynamic partnership with captain Suryakumar Yadav. Gambhir sees his role as providing fair guidance to the captain based on his game analysis. Since taking charge following the 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup, Suryakumar and Gambhir have formed a powerful captain-coach duo. Under their guidance, India’s batting has become significantly more aggressive, leading to consistent series wins and their recent Asia Cup title in the UAE. The pair is set to continue their collaboration in a five-match T20I series against Australia, beginning Wednesday at Manuka Oval.
“Surya is a great human being, and good humans make good leaders,” Gambhir stated. “While he speaks highly of me, my role is simply to advise him fairly based on my reading of the game. Ultimately, this is his team.” He believes Suryakumar’s innate free-spirited nature is perfectly suited to T20 cricket, a format that celebrates freedom and individual expression. “Your off-field personality reflects on the field and in the dressing room, and Surya has maintained this atmosphere brilliantly over the past 1.5 years,” Gambhir observed.
Gambhir emphasized that India’s T20 strategy under Suryakumar is centered on embracing risk, especially during critical match situations. “From our first conversation, we agreed: we will not fear losing,” he explained. “I don’t aim to be the most successful coach; I want us to be the most fearless team.” He conveyed to the team during the Asia Cup final that mistakes like dropping a catch or playing a poor shot are permissible. “Human beings make mistakes. Only the opinions of those in the dressing room matter,” Gambhir reiterated. “Surya and I consistently agree: we will never fear mistakes. The bigger the game, the more fearless and aggressive we must be. A conservative approach only gives the opposition an advantage. With the talent we have, if we play fearlessly, we will be fine.”
Despite Suryakumar Yadav experiencing a dip in his batting form recently, with low scores in several matches, Gambhir expressed no concern. “Honestly, Surya’s batting form doesn’t concern me because we have committed to an ultra-aggressive template in our dressing room,” he said. He acknowledged that this approach inevitably leads to failures. “It would be easy for Surya to score 40 runs off 30 balls and avoid criticism, but we have collectively decided that it’s acceptable to fail while pursuing this approach.” Gambhir mentioned that while Abhishek Sharma is currently performing well, Suryakumar will regain his scoring touch and contribute as usual. “In T20 cricket, our focus isn’t on individual runs but on the brand of cricket we want to play. With our aggressive style, batters may fail more often, but impact ultimately matters more than mere runs,” he concluded.