R Ashwin praised new India head coach Gautam Gambhir’s laidback demeanor and compared him to his predecessor Rahul Dravid. Gambhir took over from Dravid as head coach after the T20 World Cup 2024.

India won the T20I series under his guidance in Sri Lanka but lost the ODI series to them for the first time in 27 years. On the other hand, India started well in Test cricket under Gambhir, defeating Bangladesh by 280 runs in the Chennai encounter.

Talking about Gambhir as head coach, R Ashwin said that he is relaxing and has led to a lively environment in the dressing room. He also added that Gambhir is going to be loved by the boys and those who will be part of the dressing room in the future.

"I think he is very relaxed. I want to call him 'relaxed rancho'. There's no pressure at all. In the morning, there will be a team huddle. He is very relaxed about that as well. He will be like 'are you coming, please come'. It's like that," Ashwin said on YouTube channel.

R Ashwin revealed the difference between the Gambhir and Dravid-led dressing rooms, lauding the effectiveness of both coaches.

“With Rahul bhai, as soon as we come, he wanted things in order: even a bottle should be kept at a particular place at a particular time. He is very regimented. He wanted things in order. With Gambhir, he doesn't expect all that. He has a relaxed order. He will be a people's man. He will capture everybody's heart. I think he will be loved by the boys.

Also, Rohit is a very good leader who works well with everybody. Even when he is leading the side, we can see that. He is very calm and composed as a leader," he added.

The all-round performance in the Chennai Test, India's first of ten matches in the next season, would have given Gambhir and his support staff great confidence.

India and Bangladesh will meet in the second and final Test of the series on Friday, September 27.