Gambhir also stated why he gives players a longer run in Indian team.
Indian team head coach Gautam Gambhir talked about the quality that young cricketers must possess in order to get into Team India. Gambhir took over as the Indian team head coach after Rahul Dravid’s tenure ended after India’s T20 World Cup 2024 win in June last year.
Since then, the Indian team has seen a huge transition as senior players like R Ashwin retired from all international cricket, while Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma retired from Tests and ODIs, and pacer Mohammad Shami has not been in contention because of his fitness issues.
India head coach Gautam Gambhir on Tuesday shared a checklist for all young and budding cricketers who aspire to make it to the national team.
"First and foremost, you look at talent. Then you look at the work ethic. You look at the characters in that dressing room, especially in red-ball cricket. You look at what they bring to the table apart from the number of runs and wickets they have. I think how hungry they are matters a lot. And if you've got all those attributes, you will definitely have a successful Test career,” Gambhir told reporters, as per the Times of India.
Gambhir also pointed out that international cricket is an "insecure environment," which is why he believes in giving players a longer run.
"For me, giving them a longer run is very, very important because, as we all know, international cricket is a very insecure environment—only 15 players can represent the country, and there are so many waiting for their opportunity. So make sure you first pick the right characters, and then, if you see that, try to give them a longer run so they feel content and happy that they've had enough chances, rather than just chopping and changing,” he added.
Furthermore, Gambhir stated that he dislikes the phrase "dropping" and admits to becoming emotional anytime a deserving player is left out of the national team.
"Sometimes it's difficult as a head coach and a team management member because you will have to leave out players. I don't like using the word ‘dropping’ players because you don’t drop players—you only select players. When a player is left out, the least a coach can do is be empathetic, not ruthless,” he signed off.
Gambhir’s next assignment for the India team will be the white-ball tour of Australia, where the Men in Blue will play three ODIs and five T20Is.