Former coach recalls Gambhir’s prediction about Rohit Sharma

Following his appointment as India’s head coach, Gautam Gambhir’s childhood coach has revealed his bold prediction about Indian skipper Rohit Sharma.

Days earlier, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Secretary Jay Shah confirmed that Gambhir will be replacing Rahul Dravid who bid farewell to the post after the conclusion of the T20 World Cup 2024.

Now, the former opening batter’s childhood coach Sanjay Bharadwaj revealed that Gambhir had told him long ago that Rohit Sharma will become a great player.

“He [Gambhir] told me long back that Rohit Sharma will become a great player one day. This was when Rohit was not among the runs and needed some encouragement. His observation about Rohit proved accurate,” he told an Indian media outlet.

Heaping praise on the newly-appointed India team’s coach, Bharadwaj asserted that Gautam Gambhir does not believe in favouritism and respect talent.

“If Gautam ever feels that something is right for the team, he will be firm on that decision. Gautam plays to win. He knows what to do and focuses on having a set team combination. He doesn’t believe in favouritism; the only thing that is his favourite is cricket,” Bharadwaj said.

It is pertinent to mention that India lifted the T20 World Cup 2024 trophy after defeating South Africa in the final in Barbados on June 29.

Following their triumph, Rahul Dravid stepped down from the position of India’s head coach while Rohit Sharma also announced his retirement from the shorter format.

Sharma was the second-leading run-getter in the tournament, having scored 257 runs in eight matches at an average of 36.71 and a strike rate of 156.71.