Gautam Gambhir gave me a lot of confidence at the beginning of my career: R.Ashwin

With the coaching tenure of Rahul Dravid set to come to an end after India’s campaign in the T-20 World Cup, there are speculations that former Indian batsman Gautam Gambhir is a frontrunner for the post in the subsequent term. Indian spin bowler R.Ashwin recollected the support he received from Gambhir during the early phase of his career. “I was playing my first full series. I only carried drinks during the first two years before the World Cup in 2011. Gautam gave me a lot of confidence at the beginning of my career. I was not used to someone beyond my state giving me that sort of confidence,” Ashwin said during the launch of his book titled ‘I Have the Streets- A Kutti Cricket Story.’ 

Also Read: Ravichandran Ashwin reveals story behind Rohit Sharma’s ‘Garden mein ghoomne wale log’ label

If Gautham Gambhir does indeed become India’s next coach, how that would affect the dynamics of the team remains to be seen. He has had heated arguments with Indian batsman Virat Kohli on quite a few occasions. “Gautam Gambhir is a very misunderstood person. It's all about perception. He is a fighter. The biggest issue with many of us is that we give hero status to someone in our mind and forget about everyone else. This is a sport, not a movie narrative. There are no heroes and villains. Gambhir is a competitor. His desire and hunger to win is unbelievable. I have massive respect for him.” Ashwin added.