"Gautam Gambhir Can't Be A Coach": Kapil Dev's Take On What Ex-India Star 'Can Be'

India's first World Cup-winning captain Kapil Dev on Thursday said a modern-day head coach's role is more about "managing" players than actually coaching them, amid criticism surrounding Gautam Gambhir's working style. Following India's 0-2 Test series defeat to South Africa, Gambhir has come under fire as India's head coach, with his ploy of constant player rotation and reliance on part-timers being slammed. Kapil said the term 'coach' is often misunderstood in contemporary cricket.

"Today that word called a coach... 'coach' is a very common word today. Gautam Gambhir can't be a coach. He can be a manager of the team," Kapil said at the Indian Chamber of Commerce ICC Centenary Session.

"When you say coach, coach is where I learn in school and college. Those were the people, my coaches there. They could manage me," he added.

Kapil said, "How can you be a coach when they have given a name to, let's say, anybody - a leg spinner? How can Gautam be a coach to a leg spinner or to the wicketkeeper? I think you have to manage. That's more important. As a manager you give them encouragement to say you can do it, because when you become a manager the young boys look up to you," he said.

"How can my manager or captain give me that comfort? That's what the manager and captain's job is - to give comfort to the team and always say 'you can do better'. That's the way I look at it." Kapil said his own philosophy as captain was to back players going through a lean phase.

"I think you have to give comfort to the people who are not playing well. If somebody made a hundred, I don't want to have a drink and dinner with him," he said.

"There are a lot of people there... As a captain I would like to have a drink with people or have dinner with those who are not performing.

"You need to give them confidence, and that's what happens. So I think it's very important as a captain that your role is not only about your performance, but also about putting the team together."

Topics mentioned in this article

India Cricket Team Gautam Gambhir Kapil Dev BCCI Cricket