Gautam Gambhir told me long back that Rohit Sharma will become a great player one day: Childhood coach

Gautam Gambhir's childhood coach Sanjay Bharadwaj reckons that the former can do a great job as Team India's head coach because he possesses all the qualities to be successful. Giving an example of the newly-appointed head coach's cricketing acumen, Bharadwaj stated Gambhir had predicted Rohit Sharma's greatness at a time when the Hitman was going through a lean patch.

On Tuesday, July 9, the BCCI confirmed Gambhir's appointment as the new head coach of the Indian senior men's cricket team. The 42-year-old replaces Rahul Dravid whose tenure as head coach ended on a high as India lifted the T20 World Cup.

In an interview with PTI Videos, Gambhir's childhood coach Bharadwaj asserted that the BCCI has taken the right decision by appointing the former India opener as the new head coach of the men's national team.

"If Gautam ever feels that something is right for the team, he will be firm on that decision. Gautam plays to win. He knows what to do and focuses on having a set team combination. He doesn't believe in favoritism; the only thing that is his favourite is cricket," Bharadwaj said in praise of the former cricketer.

Recalling how Gambhir had predicted Rohit's rise to the top at a time when he was struggling for runs, Bharadwaj added:

"He told me long back that Rohit Sharma will become a great player one day. This was when Rohit was not among the runs and needed some encouragement. His observation about Rohit proved accurate."

Rohit was the captain of the Indian team that won the 2024 T20 World Cup held in the West Indies and the United States. He was the second-leading run-getter in the tournament, hammering 257 runs in eight matches at an average of 36.71 and a strike rate of 156.71.

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Since he was 10, Gautam Gambhir had the winner's mentality: Sanjay Bharadwaj

While Gambhir doesn't have much experience as a coach, Bharadwaj is confident that the former India cricketer can deliver the results because of his positive mentality and strong character. The man, who has also coached the likes of Amit Mishra, Unmukt Chand, and Nitish Rana, told PTI Videos:

"He always played with a challenge. Since he was 10, he had the winner's mentality. He always played to win. He never thought that he could lose a match. He was never in doubt.

"Gauti always had a sharp and astute observation power. Gautam has the ability to take up any challenge and then succeed in it," the World Cup winner's childhood coach added.

As a player, Gambhir featured in 242 matches for India across the three formats, scoring 10324 runs, with 20 hundreds and 63 fifties. He was also the mentor of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) franchise that won IPL 2024.