Ace India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has revealed the major difference between Rahul Dravid and Gautam Gambhir on how they go about coaching the Indian team. (More Cricket News)
Dravid had been the head coach of the Indian team since November 2021 and left the side after winning the 2024 T20 World Cup in July this year. He was replaced by Gambhir.
The key difference as per Ashwin is that Gambhir is a bit more relaxed while Dravid was a little stern and wanted things to be in order.
"I think he (Gambhir) is very relaxed. I want to call him 'relaxed rancho'. There's no pressure at all," Ashwin said on his YouTube channel. "In the morning, there will be a team huddle. He is very relaxed about that as well. He will be like, 'Are you coming, please come'; it's like that."
Dravid's style was different, Ashwin disclosed.
"With Rahul bhai, as soon as we come, he demanded in order. Even a bottle should be kept at a particular place at a particular time. He is very regimented," he revealed. "With Gambhir, he doesn't expect all that. He has a relaxed order and will be a people's man. He will capture everybody's heart, and I think he will be loved by the boys."
The ongoing India-Bangladesh Test series is Gambhir's first long format assignment with the Indian team. India won the first match of the two-Test series by 280 runs and Ashwin played a stellar role in the victory, scoring a century in the first innings and taking a five-wicket haul in the second.
Ashwin also showered praise on Rishabh Pant who scored his sixth Test century, the joint most by an Indian wicket-keeper in Test cricket.
"He (Pant) played very well. When he played, I told Rohit 10 times, 'He plays very well. I don't know how he gets out and sometimes doesn't score runs'," Ashwin said. "He was born for cricket in every angle and is a strong person. It goes very far when he hits, and he hits it with one arm. Everyone sees that and underestimates him, but he has that much capability. He is a talent, and when he bats, everyone gets beaten. He puts his leg forward and says, 'Ball, are you coming?', and he looks at it and defends."
