Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra recalled ex-India opener and current head coach Gautam Gambhir picking a fight in Delhi with a truck driver. Gambhir and Chopra both also played for Delhi in domestic cricket.
Aakash Chopra recounted their early days of competing for a berth on the Delhi team. The rivalry drove them to up their game. Chopra discussed how Gambhir demonstrated hunger and aggression throughout his playing days, which define him today.
“We were competitors, fighting for one place. We had a very good team. When we were playing, either Kohli or Dhawan could get a chance in the line-up. The team was like that. There was no place for even Viru [Virender Sehwag] to open the batting.
We were competitors, to begin with. He [Gambhir] wasn’t a friend, to be honest. (But he was a) very passionate guy, very hard-working, and very serious about his craft. And he scored a lot of runs. But he always wore his heart on the sleeve, was extremely passionate, and could short-fuse very quickly in terms of temperament,” recalled Chopra in a podcast with Raj Shamani on YouTube.
Chopra also revealed that Gambhir came from a rich background and never had to rely on cricket for financial stability. However, his dedication to the game was immense.
“He’s a good-hearted guy who comes from a very affluent family. For that kid to have that kind of passion… he would be on the ground the whole day. He was born with a golden spoon, not even silver. It’s a different journey, basically like Abhinav Bindra. Gautam has the heart at the right place,” Chopra added.
Recalling Gambhir’s fierceness and short fuse when it came to temper, Chopra revealed that once Gautam Gambhir climbed into a truck driver’s cabin and caught him by his collar, and had to be calmed down.
“He has always been like that temperamentally. You never know when he loses his cool. He used to tell us that he fought with a truck driver. He got out of his vehicle, climbed up the truck, and held the driver’s collar because he overtook him. I told him, ‘What are you doing, Gauti? He’s a truck driver… Tu ittu saa hai (You are such a short guy),” Chopra revealed.
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