Gambhir will begin his India head coach stint with the tour of Sri Lanka next week.
Gambhir has been roped in by the BCCI with a lot of expectations after he mentored Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to the IPL title earlier this year.
Former India cricketer Robin Uthappa also has high hopes from Gambhir, who has been appointed in the high-profile role for a period of three and a half years.
Uthappa, who has played under Gambhir’s captaincy at KKR, hailed the latter as an incredible man manager and said that his stint with the Indian team will be nothing but fruitful.
Gambhir has big shoes to fill as he replaced the legendary Rahul Dravid, whose tenure as head coach ended with the T20 World Cup triumph last month.
"He has been an incredible man manager. The narrative that is set about him as a player on social media is one that is quite 'Gambhir'. But, I think, individually, he is a thorough gentleman. He will be absolutely approachable. He is someone who is always available, he is very empathetic and he is there for his players. He looks after his players really well and he is someone who provides security for the group. We have seen that, not just as a captain, but in his mentorship roles at LSG and KKR. We have seen the results he has produced with both teams," Uthappa told India Today during a virtual interaction organised by Sony Sports Network.
According to Uthappa, India skipper Rohit Sharma's association with coach Gambhir will be as effective as his association with Dravid.
"I don't think his leadership style will change very much. I just think that his passion and the intensity that he brings to this team will be different. He will expect high standards, and he will maintain a high standard himself as a leader. I think he will be a very fair leader and he is someone who provides security to his group. So, I think Rohit and Gautam will make a different combination than Rohit and Dravid, but I think it will be as effective," he remarked.
Robin Uthappa expects Gautam Gambhir to relish big stages, like he did as a player, and help the team thrive under pressure.
"He has always been someone who has thrived under pressure. He is someone who looked at the big stages as places of opportunity. As far as I am concerned, I look at him similarly as a leader of this group. He will look for the big opportunity, he will try and get that same attitude and the same kind of performance from his players. He will create opportunities for people to thrive, and he will create an environment like that, I can vouch for it,” Uthappa said.
"He is not just a great captain, a great tactician but he is an incredible leader of men. He is an incredible leader of people. He creates infrastructures within the group that allow people to thrive. I believe in people operating from a place of security so that they can thrive rather than operating from a place of insecurity where they try to survive," he concluded.