India's T20 skipper Shreyas Iyer lauded head coach Gautam Gambhir's communication style and player clarity ahead of the T20I series against Afghanistan in New Delhi.
India T20 captain Shreyas Iyer praised head coach Gautam Gambhir's communication and man-management skills ahead of the first T20I against Afghanistan at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi. Highlighting their prior successful association at Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in 2024, Iyer noted that Gambhir's one-on-one approach builds immense trust and role clarity across the squad.
"He builds a lot of trust and confidence within the team. And every player knows what their role is and has clarity. So, I think all these alignments are very much important when it comes to coaching skills," Iyer said during the pre-match press conference ahead of the E & Friendship Cup series opener. "He (Gambhir) has got an amazing one-on-one player management approach. So, that is essential going forward in the tournament when you have that kind of relationship with every player."
Addressing his own captaincy philosophy, Iyer stated that he avoids burdening players with rigid role descriptions, preferring instead to phrase expectations around how much the team requires their contributions in specific situations.
Iyer also addressed concerns regarding player injuries, attributing setbacks to intense match schedules rather than deliberate mistakes. He expressed full faith in the squad's backup players, while confirming positive updates on fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah's return from injury and batter Ishan Kishan's recovery from a minor niggle.
Additionally, Iyer termed having three opening options in Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Sanju Samson, and Abhishek Sharma as a luxury, assuring that whoever gets selected will have the full confidence and backing of the team management.
Reporting sourced from The Hindu Sport. Photo courtesy The Hindu Sport.