Former South African pacer Dale Steyn praised Gautam Gambhir’s aggressive playing style, shortly after the BCCI appointed Gambhir as their new head coach on July 9th. During his illustrious career, Gambhir played a pivotal role in India‘s T20 World Cup 2007 and ODI World Cup 20211 triumphs, delivering match-winning performances in the finals.

When asked about Gambhir’s appointment as the Indian head coach, it’s worth noting his impressive IPL resume. He captained Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to IPL championships in 2012 and 2014. Gambhir later returned as Team Mentor for the 2024 season, guiding KKR to a third IPL title.

“I’m a big fan of Gautam Gambhir. I admire his aggressive mindset. He’s one of the few Indian cricketers I’ve faced who wasn’t afraid to challenge me. I respect that. While Gambhir has earned a place alongside senior players like Virat Kohli, I’m uncertain whether the older guys will continue to have a major role going forward. I don’t want to definitively say they are completely out of the picture, but their influence may diminish,” remarked Steyn on Star Sports.

The legendary pacer also outlined the need of aggressive leadership like Gambhir in cricket in today’s world.

“Not only in India, but in today’s cricketing world, we need people who are a little more intense and play the game harder. Even though we compete against each other in the league, we become quite friendly off the field,” he added.

I admire how he’s fierce on the pitch but maintains a gentlemanly demeanor off it. He’s also a street-smart and highly intelligent cricketer with great cricket sense. I think he’ll be a terrific addition to the team from that perspective,” he further stated.

Rahul Dravid served as the Indian head coach from November 2021 through the recent T20 World Cup. During his tenure, India reached the finals of the World Test Championship and ODI World Cup in 2023, and won the 2024 T20 World Cup.

Gautam Gambhir will now take over the Indian head coaching role from Dravid. Gambhir’s first assignment as the new Indian coach will be a three-match T20I and ODI series in Sri Lanka, starting on July 27.