NEW DELHI: Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan has showered praise on Team India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir for his unwavering support for players and his ability to stand by them, no matter the circumstances. According to Pathan, Gambhir's loyalty and commitment towards the cricketers he believes in is what sets him apart as a leader.
“I’ve seen it closely — he goes to any extent to back a player,” Irfan said.
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Woh kisi ko poora back karna jaanta hai — matlab agar poori duniya ek taraf ho jaaye aur Gautam Gambhir ne kisi player ko back kiya hai, toh phir kuch bhi ho jaaye, kuch nahi badalta,” he added. (He knows how to back someone completely — even if the whole world is against that player, if Gautam Gambhir has backed him, nothing changes.)," he said.
Illustrating his point with a metaphor, Irfan said: “Suppose he has backed someone like Arjun Pandit — then even if the world shifts upside down, Arjun Pandit will still be sitting on that chair because Gautam said so. That’s the kind of powerful character he has. It’s a really strong trait, and obviously not everyone has it — saying something, following it through, and then taking it forward. Whether results come or not is a different matter.”
Pathan also recalled how some of the team’s most successful players were backed by the former India opener Gambhir.
“André Russell was with me; he didn’t get a chance earlier, but then he got the opportunity at KKR. Sunil Narine was also given his first proper chance there — and who did that? Gautam Gambhir, as captain. He spotted the talent and gave them that platform.”
The former India pacer also revealed how Gambhir stood by him during his comeback phase in 2012 when MS Dhoni was on a break and Gambhir was leading the side.
"Even when I was making a comeback in 2012 and Dhoni was on a break, Gautam Gambhir was the captain
[Yahan tak ki jab main 2012 mein comeback kar raha tha aur Dhoni break pe the, tab Gautam Gambhir captain the] We were playing a match in Chennai," Irfan said.
"I spoke to him, and when he saw how hard I had worked to make a comeback, he said, “Yaar, nothing... you will only bowl the new ball. Don’t worry.” I played those two matches, had a good comeback, got a solid start, and that gave me back my confidence," he recalled.
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