A T20I series win and an ODI series loss, that’s how Gautam Gambhir began his stint as the head coach of the Indian men’s cricket team. While there’s plenty that Gambhir has to learn and implement in the coming weeks, the success or failure of his role as a coach will be defined by the way the Indian team performs in ICC events. Though there remain those who find certain aspects of Gambhir’s coaching style tricky, his former opening partner Virender Sehwag doesn’t think there are many challenges from the coach’s point of view.

“I don’t think there is much challenge because there are more professionals there. Recently the players have won the T20 World Cup, the players know what their role is. With Gambhir’s arrival, the players will get clarity that this is the role, you have to do this. So this will be a benefit to the Indian team,” said Sehwag in an interaction with Amar Ujala.

Sehwag feels the challenges are more for the players than the coach as they have to work on the field and deliver the results. With Gambhir sitting in the dugout and the training field, the players have a pillar of support too.

“Gambhir’s challenges will be less and the players’ challenges will be more because they will feel that we have won the T20 World Cup, so now we should win the Champions Trophy or the ODI World Cup or the Test Championship. So the players will have more challenges than the coach. Because Gambhir is there to help them,” he added. 

Gambhir’s next assignment is the Test series against Bangladesh at home. Though India are yet to lose a single match in the longest format to their neighbors, the Pakistan vs Bangladesh series suggests that the Bangla Tigers shouldn’t be taken lightly by any means.