‘It will be a different ball game’ – Nepal coach Monty Desai on Gautam Gambhir’s appointment [Exclusive]

Monty-Desai. (Photo Source: X/Twitter)

Nepal coach Monty Desai gave his honest take on Gautam Gambhir being appointed as the head coach of the Indian Cricket Team. The 50-year-old went on to mention the differences between coaching an Associate team like Nepal and a cricketing powerhourse like India.

Gambhir replaced Rahul Dravid as India’s head coach after the latter led the Men in Blue to victory at the recently concluded T20 World Cup 2024. While fans and experts are excited to see how Gambhir injects his never-say-die attitude into the players, some have expressed their skepticism because the legendary former cricketer has not been the head coach at any level before.

Gambhir worked as a mentor at Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the 2022 and 2023 editions of the Indian Premier League (IPL) and took them to the playoffs. Ahead of IPL 2024, he joined Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) as their mentor and helped them end their 10-year-long wait for their third title. This glorious result catapulted Gambhir into contention to succeed Dravid and last week, BCCI made the official announcement.

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In an exclusive interview with CricTracker, Desai, who has the experience of being head coach of teams like Canada and Nepal was asked whether he had any suggestions for Gambhir as he embarks on a new journey in his coaching career. While the veteran coach refrained from giving suggestions, he asserted that Gambhir’s experience of playing for India and mentoring teams in the IPL will stand him in good stead.

“I don’t think I’m someone who can give suggestions. Probably [to] put things in perspective, he has played for India, let’s not forget that part. I do believe that coaching is a completely different ball game. It requires different sets of skills… having followed him, the way he has conducted himself, as a mentor in franchise cricket, especially with KKR. It’s a huge responsibility which he knows it. But the philosophy of running the dressing room, I think, remains the same. Because he also believes in [a] happy dressing room. Even at the same time, challenging them. Something which I’m learning in Nepal. Because I want to challenge them even more,” Desai said.

Also Read: When you’re in very good form, go ahead and play all the three formats: Gautam Gambhir

“But with Nepal, if I can give that as an example, I also come across lack of self-esteem. So, while we challenge them and try to bring in professionalism, it takes a while in our dressing room. But in Indian cricket, you are blessed. You have players who already come with strong confidence and self-belief. Many of them have played in IPL. In IPL, you rub off shoulders with all the greater names from different countries. I wish him all the best and the people who will join him in the dressing room,” Desai explained.