'Emotional Coach Not A Good Thing': AB De Villiers Drops 'Gautam Gambhir' Bombshell
AB de Villiers has warned that Gautam Gambhir's famously emotional demeanour, which defined his playing career, could be detrimental if carried over into his role as Head Coach of the Indian team.
- AB de Villiers commented on Gautam Gambhir's emotional style after India's Test series loss vs South Africa
- "Generally, an emotional coach is not a good thing to have," the legendary South Africa cricketer said
- India lost both Test matches as the hosts slumped to an embarrassing 0-2 series loss
South Africa's 2-0 sweep against India has opened the debate over Gautam Gambhir's future as the head coach of the Shubman Gill-led Test side. India struggled to give South Africa competition in any department, failing miserably, time and again, repeating the same mistakes. Though AB de Villiers, one of the greatest players to have represented South Africa in international cricket, hasn't experienced what Gambhir is as a coach, he is well aware of his 'emotional avatar' as a player. Speaking to Ravichandran Ashwin in a video on his YouTube channel, De Villiers said it's not a good thing if Gambhir remains as emotional as a coach in the dressing room as he was during his active days as a cricketer.
"Speaking on behalf of the Indian side, it's really difficult. I don't know what GG is like when it comes to leadership. I've known him as an emotional player, and if that is the case in the change room, generally, an emotional coach is not a good thing to have. But it's not to say he's that kind of a coach and the kind of leader behind the scenes. There's no right and wrong. Some players will feel comfortable with a former player. Some players will be comfortable with a coach that's never played the game before, but he's got a lot of years of experience of coaching the game," De Villiers said in a video on Ashwin's YouTube channel.
Ashwin also asked De Villiers if it was the contrasting styles of coaching in the two teams, led by Gambhir and Shukri Conrad, that led to the results unfolding the way it did. De Villiers said it was tough for him to answer as he never played under either of the two coaches.
"It's a tough question because I've never played under Shukri and I've never been in the Indian dressing room with GG, Morne Morkel and Ryan ten Doeschate. It looks great on paper, but I don't know what the dynamic is like behind the scenes. What I can say is it is different for every player," De Villiers added.
"I absolutely love playing under Gary Kirsten; he's a former player and similar to Gautam Gambhir. Some players might find confidence and feel comfortable with a former player being there, a great of the game and find some extra inspiration to put extra yards for the team and for the coach," he said.
India Cricket Team
South Africa Cricket Team
Gautam Gambhir
Ravichandran Ashwin
AB de Villiers