IND vs SL: ‘He Knows What He Wants…,’ Shubman Gill On New India Coach Gautam Gambhir

India’s newly appointed vice- captain, Shubman Gill, opened up on his first impression of Gautam Gambhir as a head coach, saying that the former Indian opener is very clear about his intent, communication and player roles with the team.

India’s tour of Sri Lanka begins with a T20I on Saturday and consists of three T20Is and three ODIs each. Gill will be the deputy to Suryakumar Yadav and Rohit Sharma in the short format and 50-overs, respectively. This is Gambhir’s first assignment as head coach after being appointed to the position earlier in July after Rahul Dravid vacated the post following ICC T20 World Cup win in West Indies. (Indian Cricket Legend Slams Gambhir And Agarkar: Fitness Not The Real Reason For Hardik Pandya’s Captaincy Ouster)

Speaking ahead of the first T20I in Pallekele in the pre-match presser, Gill said, “We have had just two net sessions together, and this is the first time I am working with him. But whatever he has told me during these two sessions, his intent and communication have been very clear–he knows what he wants from which player, and what he thinks will work for each player.”

Gill also opened up on his equation with the newly-appointed T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav, saying that they are “alike”.

“We think alike. I have played under Surya bhai’s captaincy in the South Africa tour,” he said.

“Our communication and understanding are alike. You can see this in the upcoming games,” he added. (IND vs SL T20Is: HUGE Blow To Sri Lanka As Another Key Bowler Ruled Out Due To Injury)

India’s tour of Sri Lanka will kick-off with a three-match T20I series, followed by a three-match ODI series. The Pallekele International Stadium will be hosting the T20I leg of the series while the R Premadasa is getting to host the 50-over matches. The three ODIs will be held on August 2, August 4, and August 7.

Both teams will be taking to the field with new head coaches. While legendary all-rounder Sanath Jayasuriya has been named as the interim head coach for Lankan Lions, this will also be the first assignment for former Indian opener Gautam Gambhir as the head coach, succeeding the T20 World Cup-winning coach Rahul Dravid.

India’s last tour of Sri Lanka for a bilateral white-ball series came back in July 2021, with Dravid coaching the Shikhar Dhawan-led side. India won the ODI series 2-1, while Sri Lanka secured the T20I series by the same margin.

T20I Squad for Sri Lanka series: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Shubman Gill (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rinku Singh, Riyan Parag, Rishabh Pant (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Khaleel Ahmed, Mohammed Siraj.

ODI Squad for Sri Lanka series: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill (vc), Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (WK), Rishabh Pant (wk), Shreyas Iyer, Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Riyan Parag, Axar Patel, Khaleel Ahmed, Harshit Rana.