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Gautam Gambhir’s ‘spartan’ ethos shaping Team India as Chakaravarthy shares head coach mentality: 'Can't be mediocre…'
Varun Chakaravarthy stated that Gautam Gambhir has instilled a 'Spartan' mindset in the Indian team, emphasising that losing is simply not an option.
Varun Chakaravarthy spoke about the mindset head coach Gautam Gambhir has instilled in the Indian team. Gambhir, who stepped in after the 2024 T20 World Cup following his mentorship success with Kolkata Knight Riders, faced scepticism due to his lack of prior domestic head coaching experience. Though his red-ball stint began shakily, he quickly proved his worth in white-ball formats, leading India to a Champions Trophy victory.
Meanwhile, Chakaravarthy, who previously collaborated with Gambhir at KKR, stated that the coach has instilled a 'Spartan' mindset in the Indian team, emphasising that losing is simply not an option.
"I have already worked with him in the IPL and we won that IPL, so nothing new to me because I have already been around him. But definitely one thing which I can say about him is he brings a 'Spartan' mentality to the team where there is no option of losing, you just have to bring your best and give everything on the ground and later on, whatever happens, happens. But when he is around, there is no mediocrity, you can't be mediocre in the field, that's what I feel," Chakaravarthy said on the sidelines of CEAT Awards as quoted on NDTV.
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Since Gambhir's arrival in the team, Chakaravarthy has become a vital part of India's T20I set-up. He also achieved the number one ranking in the ICC T20I bowling charts.
Varun Chakaravarthy opens up on ODI snub
However, recently, he was dropped from India's ODI squad for the Australia tour despite being part of the Champions Trophy-winning squad.
Chakaravarthy spoke about the absence from ODIs and the message he received from Gambhir, focusing on adapting to longer spells in ODIs and improving his batting. He highlighted how these adjustments helped him perform effectively in the Champions Trophy while also preparing him to contribute more with the bat in domestic cricket.
"Basically, the conversations were around bowling longer spells. Because in T20, you maximum bowl two overs back-to-back. But in ODI, you have to bowl five to six overs back-to-back, which I did work on and I was able to do it in the Champions Trophy. Nothing much and definitely, he wants me to bat a little more up the order in the domestic circuit and improve on my batting," he added.
