“Treat Rohit Sharma and the youngest member same way”: Gautam Gambhir shares his leadership philosophy

Gambhir is considered as front-runner to become India's next coach.

Former India opener Gautam Gambhir, who is considered as front-runner to replace Rahul Dravid as India’s head coach, has shared his views on leadership and how captains should approach their roles.

Speaking at the Forbes India event, Gambhir provided a sneak peek into his leadership philosophy and his potential approach if he were to take charge of the Indian team.

Gambhir believes a true leader should treat all members of the side equally, irrespective of someone’s stature or experience.

"Look, first and foremost, treat Rohit Sharma and the youngest team, the youngest member of the dressing room exactly the same way. Absolutely exactly the same way. It is a tough job, but leaders are bound to take tough decisions and are bound to do difficult things as well. That is why you're the leader. Otherwise, you would end up becoming a follower,” Gambhir opined.

The 42-year-old also dismissed the idea of different rules for different players, stating that profiles and past achievements should not come in the way of decision-making process.

"And to do that, you need to have a lot of self-belief, a lot of courage as well. And that is for me the first and foremost quality of being a true leader because you're true to the entire squad or entire bunch of people sitting in that dressing room. You cannot have different rules and you cannot have different things for different individuals. Looking at the profile, you do not look at profiles when you want to become a leader. If you want to become a leader, profiles do not matter," Gambhir remarked.

While many reports have suggested that Gautam Gambhir is the leading contender to become India’s next coach, the BCCI and former cricketer himself have remained tight-lipped on this subject.

Last week, Gambhir was reportedly interviewed by the BCCI’s Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) for the high-profile post.

However, Gambhir, who recently mentored KKR to their IPL title win, refused to comment on his prospects.

"I don't see that far ahead. You are grilling me, asking me all tough questions. It is difficult to answer right now. All I can say is that I'm happy being here, just finished a brilliant journey (and) let's enjoy that. I'm in a very happy space right now," Gambhir said while speaking at an event organized by the Indian Chambers of Commerce in Kolkata on Friday (June 21).