Kolkata, dodging questions on whether he will be the next head coach of the Indian cricket team, former opener Gautam Gambhir said on Friday that he does not "see that far into the future" but provided insight into his coaching philosophy, which is based on the "Team First Ideology".
Gambhir was speaking at an Indian Chamber of Commerce event here.
He appeared in a virtual interview with the BCCI Cricket Advisory Committee earlier this week and is widely perceived as India's next head coach after incumbent Rahul Dravid's tenure comes to an end following the T20 World Cup. ongoing in the West Indies.
However, Gambhir, who recently played a crucial role in KKR's third IPL title as the team's mentor, remained reserved when asked about his prospects.
"I don't see much of a future. They are interrogating me, asking me difficult questions," he said.
"It's difficult to answer now. All I can say is that I am happy to be here, I have just finished a brilliant journey (and) let's enjoy it. I am in a very happy space right now," Gambhir said at a press conference. 'Rise To Leadership' seminar here.
Gambhir said putting the team before individuals is the basis of his coaching philosophy.
"If you intend to keep your team ahead of any individual, things will fall into place. If not today, tomorrow, if not tomorrow, someday everything will fall into place," he said.
"But if you start thinking about that, or if you know you need to help one or two people perform, then your team will only suffer."
"My job is not to make people perform. My job, as a mentor, is to make KKR win," said Gambhir, who was praised for his role in KKR's winning streak this year.
"For me, the guru mantra is the team-first philosophy. I think the team-first ideology, the team-first philosophy is the most important ideology in any team sport," he added.
Gambhir said they were all leaders in the field for KKR, which had a near-perfect campaign this year.
"Yes, I was the leader, but all of us in the dressing room made the change. It was about making Kolkata proud. For me it was a moral responsibility to give something back to Kolkata," he said.
However, the former cricketer, who also captained India at times, said treating all members of a team equally is his approach.
"In a team sport, it's the team that matters most. Individuals play a role, individuals contribute," he said.
"But I believe that if 11 people are treated equally, if 11 people are given the same respect, if everyone is treated equally, if they are given the same respect, the same responsibility, the same honor, an incredible amount of success will be achieved. .
"You cannot discriminate in an establishment or an organization," he added.
The 42-year-old, however, was not disappointed at not being able to captain India for a long period.
"I have always thought of performing for the fans, and that has been my thought since the last year of my coaching career. In between, I got the honor of captaining India for six matches. I tried to do it to the best of my ability." , he claimed.
"Otherwise, I don't regret it at all because my job was not to be the captain of the series. My job was to make my country win, and whatever team I play for, make that team win," he added. .
Although he regrets something.
"I wish I had finished that match," he said, referring to the 2011 World Cup final in which then captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni scored the winning runs.
"My job was to finish the game, rather than letting someone finish the game. If I had to turn back time, I would go back there and score the last run, regardless of how many runs I scored," added the left-hander, who scored 97 runs in that epic clash against Sri Lanka at the Wankhede Stadium.
Gambhir was speaking at an Indian Chamber of Commerce event here.
He appeared in a virtual interview with the BCCI Cricket Advisory Committee earlier this week and is widely perceived as India's next head coach after incumbent Rahul Dravid's tenure comes to an end following the T20 World Cup. ongoing in the West Indies.
However, Gambhir, who recently played a crucial role in KKR's third IPL title as the team's mentor, remained reserved when asked about his prospects.
"I don't see much of a future. They are interrogating me, asking me difficult questions," he said.
"It's difficult to answer now. All I can say is that I am happy to be here, I have just finished a brilliant journey (and) let's enjoy it. I am in a very happy space right now," Gambhir said at a press conference. 'Rise To Leadership' seminar here.
Gambhir said putting the team before individuals is the basis of his coaching philosophy.
"If you intend to keep your team ahead of any individual, things will fall into place. If not today, tomorrow, if not tomorrow, someday everything will fall into place," he said.
"But if you start thinking about that, or if you know you need to help one or two people perform, then your team will only suffer."
"My job is not to make people perform. My job, as a mentor, is to make KKR win," said Gambhir, who was praised for his role in KKR's winning streak this year.
"For me, the guru mantra is the team-first philosophy. I think the team-first ideology, the team-first philosophy is the most important ideology in any team sport," he added.
Gambhir said they were all leaders in the field for KKR, which had a near-perfect campaign this year.
"Yes, I was the leader, but all of us in the dressing room made the change. It was about making Kolkata proud. For me it was a moral responsibility to give something back to Kolkata," he said.
However, the former cricketer, who also captained India at times, said treating all members of a team equally is his approach.
"In a team sport, it's the team that matters most. Individuals play a role, individuals contribute," he said.
"But I believe that if 11 people are treated equally, if 11 people are given the same respect, if everyone is treated equally, if they are given the same respect, the same responsibility, the same honor, an incredible amount of success will be achieved. .
"You cannot discriminate in an establishment or an organization," he added.
The 42-year-old, however, was not disappointed at not being able to captain India for a long period.
"I have always thought of performing for the fans, and that has been my thought since the last year of my coaching career. In between, I got the honor of captaining India for six matches. I tried to do it to the best of my ability." , he claimed.
"Otherwise, I don't regret it at all because my job was not to be the captain of the series. My job was to make my country win, and whatever team I play for, make that team win," he added. .
Although he regrets something.
"I wish I had finished that match," he said, referring to the 2011 World Cup final in which then captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni scored the winning runs.
"My job was to finish the game, rather than letting someone finish the game. If I had to turn back time, I would go back there and score the last run, regardless of how many runs I scored," added the left-hander, who scored 97 runs in that epic clash against Sri Lanka at the Wankhede Stadium.
