“Gautam Gambhir can't be a coach” - Kapil Dev makes an interesting revelation

Amid criticism surrounding the Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir, the Indian World Cup-winning captain Kapil Dev has stated that a modern-day head coach’s role is more about managing players than actually coaching them.

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For the unversed, Gambhir faced severe criticism after India’s whitewash to South Africa in the two-match Test series at home. Interestingly, this was India’s second consecutive Test series whitewash at home to a SENA nation.

"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 Dev 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.

"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 stated.

Furthermore, the former World Cup-winning captain also asserted that the main responsibility of a captain or coach-turned-manager is to provide comfort and confidence to players, especially for those struggling for form.

"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 noted.

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"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,” he concluded.

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