Iyer Hails Gambhir's 'Amazing' Man-Management: "I Know His Mind!"

Indian T20 skipper Shreyas Iyer has given a massive thumbs-up to head coach Gautam Gambhir, highlighting his "amazing one-on-one player management approach." Iyer, who previously worked with Gambhir at Kolkata Knight Riders, shared his deep admiration for the coach's ability to build trust and confidence within the team, ensuring every player has clarity about their role.

He (Gambhir) builds a lot of trust and confidence within the team. And every player knows what their role is and has clarity,

Iyer stated at a pre-match press conference. Their past association means Iyer feels he deeply understands Gambhir's mindset.

"I have worked with him in the past in KKR.

So, I definitely know how his mind works and how his approach is going to be."

Shifting to his own captaincy philosophy, Iyer revealed he doesn't believe in burdening players with rigid roles. Instead, he focuses on fostering game awareness, which he sees as crucial for the T20 format. He prefers to phrase expectations in a way that makes players feel "needed and wanted" by the team, rather than simply assigning a task, believing this reduces pressure and enhances performance.

Addressing the perennial issue of player injuries, Iyer showed understanding rather than frustration.

He acknowledged the intense, continuous cricket players face makes them prone to injuries.

He emphasized that players don't get injured deliberately; it's a consequence of their immense effort for the team.

While injuries can impact team combinations, Iyer expressed full confidence in the backups, asserting they are equally important and capable of delivering.

Providing updates on key players, Iyer mentioned interacting with Jasprit Bumrah, who is in a strong mindset, eager to perform and help the team win championships. Regarding the opening options, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Sanju Samson, and Abhishek Sharma, Iyer sees their presence as a luxury, assuring that anyone getting an opportunity will have the team's full backing.

He also confirmed Ishan Kishan is comfortable after a minor niggle, attributing it to fatigue from continuous play, adding that a day's rest should see him fine for the upcoming match.

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