Gautam Gambhir lays out his coaching philosophy as he takes charge of India

Speaking to reporters for the first time in his new role, Gambhir touched on how he wants to interact with the Indian players and what they can expect from him. “It’s very simple,” he said Monday in Mumbai. “It’s important to give the players freedom – that’s what I believe in – and not have a coach-player relationship.

“The best relationships are those built on trust. The most important thing is that they will always have my support. I don’t mix things up. I take a very successful team – India are the T20 world champions, I came second in the World Test Championship and the 50-overs World Cup.”

Gambhir’s tenure begins on July 27 with India’s white-ball tour of Sri Lanka. This is his first time as a team coach, although he has worked as a consultant in the IPL, with Lucknow Super Giants and reigning champions Kolkata Knight Riders. During his playing days, he was an excellent opener in an international career that spanned 13 years and culminated in World Cup wins in 2007 and 2011.

“My learning was easy – it was about winning,” he said. “I don’t deviate from anything. We’re in a job where there can only be one winner. We try and play evenly, we try and play hard, and try to come back in a winning dressing room and a happy dressing room.

“A happy dressing room is a winning dining room. In the end it’s the players’ team, the support team is there to try and get the best out of their abilities. Sometimes international cricket can be tough, insecure and because only 15 can be selected it’s the support staff’s job to keep them happy.

“For the batsmen, if they can play consistently and if they are in good form, [they] it is also possible to play all games. Since Rohit and Virat are now not playing T20 cricket, they have only two formats to look at. So they will be available in many games”

Gautam Gambhir

Earlier, Gambhir was not an advocate for picking and choosing players. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have both been selected for the ODIs against Sri Lanka, and the former will lead the way. This is the only two ODI series that India is scheduled to play before the Champions Trophy early next year.

Gambhir said that managing the workload is important for fast bowlers but batsmen need to play every match if they are fit and available.

“Managing the workload for someone like Jasprit Bumrah is important,” said Gambhir. “For the batsmen, if they can play consistently and if they are in good form, [they] it is also possible to play all games. Since Rohit and Virat are now not playing T20 cricket, they have only two formats to look at. So they will be available in many games.

“For Bumrah, because he is a rare type of bowler that no one wants [in their team], so it is our duty to try to find him fresh from many important games. So, handling the workload, not just Bumrah, but the fast bowlers is very important.”