SKY's free-spirited character perfectly matches T20 cricket's essence: Gambhir

Canberra, Oct 27 India head coach Gautam Gambhir has said about his leadership philosophy and the evolving partnership with captain Suryakumar Yadav, saying that his role in the side is to simple advise the right-handed batter in a fair manner and based on his reading of the game.

Since taking over after India won 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup, Suryakumar and Gambhir have been a formidable captain-coach pair. Under the duo, India has taken its batting tempo to the next level, while winning series constantly and recently won the Men’s T20 Asia Cup in the UAE. The duo will join forces when India plays a five-match T20I series in Australia, starting at the Manuka Oval on Wednesday.

"Surya is a great human being, and good humans make good leaders. 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. His free-spirited character perfectly matches T20 cricket's essence, it's about freedom and 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,” said Gambhir on JioStar.

He also emphasised that India’s T20I strategy under Suryakumar is built on embracing risk, especially in high-pressure matches. “From our first conversation, we agreed: we will not fear losing. I don't aim to be the most successful coach; I want us to be the most fearless team. In big games like the Asia Cup final, I told the players it's okay to drop a catch, play a bad shot, or bowl a poor delivery.”

"Human beings make mistakes. Only the opinions of those in the dressing room matter. 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," he added.

Barring an unbeaten 47 in the Asia Cup league game against Pakistan, Suryakumar had a horror tournament via scores of 7 not out, 0, 5, 12 and 1. But Gambhir said he isn’t much concerned about Suryakumar’s recent low returns with the bat.

"Honestly, Surya's batting form doesn't concern me because we have committed to an ultra-aggressive template in our dressing room. When you embrace this philosophy, failures are inevitable. 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. Currently, Abhishek Sharma is in good form and has maintained it throughout the Asia Cup. When Surya finds his rhythm, he will shoulder the responsibility accordingly.

"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.

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