AB de Villiers Questions Gambhir’s Emotional Coaching Style After India’s Series Loss

AB de Villiers opined that India’s series loss to South Africa has raised questions about Gautam Gambhir’s emotional coaching style, which he believes may not suit every player.

Former South Africa captain AB de Villiers offered his perspective on India head coach Gautam Gambhir’s coaching style after India suffered a 2-0 Test defeat in South Africa earlier this week. De Villiers noted that Gambhir showed strong emotions during his playing career and felt that a similar approach as a coach could challenge some players.

De Villiers also stressed that leadership in modern cricket varies across teams and depends heavily on how athletes react to communication and decision-making. His comments came during a discussion on R Ashwin’s YouTube channel.

“Speaking on behalf of the Indian side, it’s really difficult. I don’t know what GG is like when it comes to leadership. I’ve known him as an emotional player and if that is the case in the change room, generally an emotional coach is not a good thing to have,” de Villiers said.

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“But it’s not to say he’s that kind of a coach and the kind of leader behind the scenes. There’s no right and wrong. Some players will feel comfortable with a former player. Some players will be comfortable with a coach that’s never played the game before but he’s got a lot of years of experience of coaching the game,” he added.

Gary Kirsten’s Leadership Approach Draws Praise from ABD

AB de Villiers added to the discussion by recalling his experience under Gary Kirsten, calling him one of South Africa’s finest openers and a coach who brought out the best in players. The former cricketer then mentioned that he had not worked with India’s current support staff, making it difficult to judge their internal dynamic.

“It’s a tough question because I’ve never played under Shukri and I’ve never been in the Indian dressing room with GG, Morne Morkel and Ryan ten Doeschate. It looks great on paper but I don’t know what the dynamic is like behind the scenes. What I can say is it is different for every player. I absolutely love playing under Gary Kirsten; he’s a former player and similar to Gautam Gambhir. Some players might find confidence and feel comfortable with a former player being there, a great of the game and find some extra inspiration to put extra yards for the team and for the coach,” he concluded.