After retirement, veteran Indian batter Gautam Gambhir came back to Indian cricket. This time as India’s head coach. After Rahul Dravid’s tenure ended after the T20 World Cup, Gambhir took the helm from the Sri Lanka tour. Former Indian batter Aakash Chopra reminisced about their early rivalry for a spot on the Delhi team and shared some lesser-known stories from that time.
Competition With Gambhir:
After retirement, Gautam Gambhir came back again to the Indian team. After Rahul Dravid, he took the huge responsibility of Team India’s head coach since the white ball series against Sri Lanka. He got a flying start as Team India bagged the T20 series by a 3-0 margin. But the ODI series was a big heartbreak for him because India lost it by 2-0 margin.
Gambhir has a special bond with many current players, as he was once their teammate. Aakash Chopra, another former Delhi teammate, recalled their early rivalry. Both Chopra and Gambhir, as openers, frequently competed for spots in the playing XI. This intense competition drove them to improve their performances and elevate their games.
Chopra said, “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. In fact, there was no place for even Viru [Virender Sehwag] to open the batting.”
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Later he added, “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.”
On Gambhir’s Undying Passion for the Game:
Aakash Chopra praised Gautam Gambhir for his intense passion for cricket, despite his privileged background. Born into wealth, Gambhir didn’t need cricket for financial reasons. However, Chopra highlighted that Gambhir’s dedication to the game was extraordinary.
He said, “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.”
The ‘Gambhir’ Incident With the Truck Driver:
Gambhir is often seen in aggressive mode. But former Indian batter Aakash Chopra revealed an unknown incident of the batter with a truck driver. He said, “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.
Later he added, “ He got off his vehicle, climbed up the truck and held the driver’s collar because he overtook. I told him, ‘What are you doing, Gauti? He’s a truck driver… Tu ittu saa hai (You are such a short guy).”
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