Chennai. Ravichandran Ashwin, the oldest member of the Indian team, believes that Gautam Gambhir is more spontaneous than his predecessor Rahul Dravid, whose working style was ‘very disciplined’. Dravid was the coach of the Indian team since November 2021. He parted ways with the Indian team this July. In his presence, the team won the T20 World Cup title. Pointing out the difference between Gambhir and his predecessor coach, Ashwin said that Gambhir is of a calm nature and his attitude helps in maintaining a lively atmosphere in the dressing room.
Ashwin said on his YouTube channel, “I think he (Gambhir) is very calm. I like to call him ‘Relaxed Rancho’ (easy and calm). There is no pressure in his presence. He is also very comfortable with the team meeting in the morning. He asks you if you will come to the meeting in the morning, please come. Ashwin said that Dravid’s approach was more strict and systematic than Gambhir.
He revealed, “Rahul bhai (Dravid) wanted to keep things very organized. He wanted that even a bottle should be kept at a particular place at a particular time. He was very disciplined in this matter.” The experienced off-spinner said, “He does not expect such things from Gambhir. He does not like to be too strict. He takes care of everyone and I think all the players of the team will like him.” Ashwin also praised Indian wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant, who returned to the Test team after recovering from a serious injury in a car accident. Pant made his comeback memorable by scoring a century in the first Test match against Bangladesh.
Ashwin felt that the youngster was born for cricket and his abilities are often underestimated. “He (Pant) played very well. When he was batting, I told Rohit 10 times, he plays very well but I don’t know how he gets out,” Ashwin said. “He is born for cricket in every way and is a strong guy. When he strikes the ball, the ball goes a long way. He has the ability to play big shots with one hand.
