Gautam Gambhir : Team India all-rounder Shardul Thakur has made a strong statement about head coach Gautam Gambhir. The latter was recently in the spotlight during the 2025 Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy against England, where Shubman Gill led the visitors to a 2-2 draw in the five-match series.
Gautam Gambhir : On Sunday, August 17, during an interaction with RevSportz, Shardul was asked about the criticism Gambhir faced after India’s Test defeats, first in the 2024 home series against New Zealand and later on the away tour of Australia.
Shardul responded that criticism will always come and go, but Gambhir has brought energy and motivation into the team, and that the side is moving in the right direction. He said:
“Yes, we have always seen him as a player who is willing to fight for the team, and even during the huddles, he transferred that energy into us, the one that he brought into the field during his playing days. He is an achiever who has won trophies for the nation and the state. And he brings all those experiences and motivations into the team. Criticism will come and go, but as a team, winning matters, and I believe we are heading in the right direction when it comes to that.”
Meanwhile, Shardul endured a below-par tour of England, featuring in two matches where he managed only 46 runs and picked up two wickets across three innings.
“You are lucky to be representing your country” – Shardul Thakur shares Gautam Gambhir’s message to the team during the 2025 Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy
In the same interaction, Shardul Thakur also reflected on how the young Indian side, under new Test skipper Shubman Gill, managed to draw the 2025 Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy against England. He pointed out that the team lacked experience following the retirements of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, but credited Gautam Gambhir for instilling belief in the squad. Shardul said:
“When your backs are against the wall, there is no going back and that was the situation, having two of the most senior pro players [Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma] retiring from the game, and not having Mohammed Shami in the squad. The bit of experience this team had was in form of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj. The batting unit was fairly inexperienced, except for KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant. This team had no other option than to rise and put up a fight, because at the end of the day, you are representing India.”
“Even our team huddles had Gauti Bhai [Gautam Gambhir] saying: “You are lucky to be representing your country.” Maybe young, but we are here because of our talent, and as our coach said: “If you have the belief, then there is no opponent that you cannot beat. If it’s your day, you can take any side down, based on how badly you want it.” And most importantly, when youngsters are in the team, they would do anything to showcase their talent in front of the world. I guess that’s what lifted the morale of the team and kept our team going,” he added.
The Men in Blue will return to action at the 2025 Asia Cup, scheduled to begin on September 9 in the UAE.
