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Gautam Gambhir rarely smiles and usually carries a serious demeanor both on and off the field. (AP Photo)
NEW DELHI: Fans have hardly seen Gautam Gambhir in a jovial mood. The former India batter rarely smiles and usually carries a serious demeanor both on and off the field. But after the second Test at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi, Gambhir appeared lighter and even cracked a joke while responding to a journalist’s question.Speaking on the workload of India’s skipper Shubman Gill, Gambhir quipped that he himself would need a mental conditioning coach, given the number of matches India has played on a trot this year. “First of all, I need one,” he said when asked if Gill should get a mental conditioning coach. “This is my birthday gift. The coach is as good as the team,” he added.Gill has been playing non-stop for the past month, transitioning quickly from the Asia Cup to the West Indies series. He is set to begin his ODI leadership stint when India take on Australia in a three-match series Down Under, starting Sunday, October 19.For Gambhir, last year’s home series whitewash against New Zealand still stings, highlighting the challenges of preparing on rank turners. India’s batting line-up, apart from KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja, is young. Yet both Yashasvi Jaiswal and Gill now have enough experience to handle difficult pitches.It is worth recalling that Virat Kohli’s Test average dipped on such tracks, while Ravichandran Ashwin and Jadeja thrived, evolving into world-class performers. On less helpful pitches, finger spinners Jadeja and Washington Sundar are less threatening, whereas wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav remains a potent option.The venues for the upcoming two-Test series against South Africa will be crucial in assessing India’s strength in home conditions, particularly as there will be no red-ball cricket for the next eight months ahead of the Sri Lanka tour.With a young batting line-up gaining experience and spinners like Kuldeep adapting to different conditions, Gambhir remains optimistic about India’s ability to handle challenges. Meanwhile, his lighter demeanor post-match shows even the most serious coach can find a moment of levity amid a packed cricketing calendar.
