Gautam Gambhir’s association with Rohit Sharma goes back much further than their time together in India’s current coaching set-up.Long before Gambhir became India’s head coach and Rohit led the national side, the two had already shared a dressing room. Gambhir was an established senior player when Rohit entered the India team, giving their relationship a familiarity that Gambhir believes made their later coach-captain equation different from a conventional one.Reflecting on the four India captains he has worked with during his coaching tenure in a conversation with JioStar, Gambhir explained that he and Rohit did not have to build their relationship from scratch when he became coach.“I don’t think so. See, Rohit’s and my relationship wasn’t just of captain and coach. Rohit’s and my relationship, when Rohit came into the team, I was a senior player at that time. So Rohit’s and my relationship is from back then. Rohit knew me since then. It is not like Rohit and I had a new relationship, or that I came as a coach from a foreign country who has neither seen Rohit play, nor knows Rohit individually or personally, what kind of person he is,” Gambhir said.That history meant Gambhir had already seen Rohit develop through different stages of his international career. Rohit, in turn, had known Gambhir as a senior India player well before Gambhir moved into the coaching role.According to Gambhir, that shared history can make it easier for a coach and captain to deal with situations where they do not necessarily arrive at the same conclusion.“So often when you have played together, things become very easy. And in fact, he knows my thinking, I know his thinking. Because tomorrow I might have some other thinking, the captain might have some other thinking, but ultimately, whatever is in the best interest of the team, if that’s the last final decision, then nothing can be better than that,” Gambhir said.For Gambhir, the key is therefore not that a coach and captain must always agree. Different views can exist, but an understanding of each other’s thinking can help ensure those differences do not become a distraction when the final decision has to be made for the team.Rohit was the first of four India captains Gambhir has so far worked in his tenure. Suryakumar Yadav subsequently led the T20I side, while Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer have also taken on captaincy responsibilities.Despite the different leadership styles and personalities involved, Gambhir said he has found one common thread among all four captains.“And that’s why I said that with all four, whichever four captains I have worked with, this has been my experience with them, that everyone’s intention has been Indian cricket,” he said.Gambhir’s comments come at a time when the narrative around Rohit has changed considerably following the Lord’s ODI in July.Before that match, a media house had reported that the game could be the former India captain’s last and that he had been told he was no longer part of the team’s World Cup plans.Rohit then produced a commanding 138 in the match. BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia has subsequently spoken strongly in support of the veteran batter.There have also been developments around India’s selection set-up. TimesofIndia.com earlier reported that Ajit Agarkar is less likely to receive an extension, with Parthiv Patel appearing to be the front runner for the chief selector’s position.Against that backdrop, Gambhir’s comments offer a glimpse into the long-standing understanding between two men whose professional relationship has evolved from senior player and young cricketer to captain and coach.
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