Gautam Gambhir's IPL record cited as under-fire head coach receives strong backing, showcasing his leadership prowess.

Prior to the start of the five-match T20I series against England on January 22, Gambhir was lauded by the Three Lions' head coach, Brendon McCullum, who hailed the former India opener as a "resolute leader of individuals."

McCullum responded when asked whether it is necessary to have coaching experience at the first-class level to succeed in international cricket. It is important to state that even the former New Zealand wicketkeeper did not have much experience before getting the job as England Test coach.

McCullum was coaching Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) when he took over as England's Test coach. Now, the 43-year-old has also taken over the reins in the white-ball setup.

"What I will say about Gautam Gambhir is I've worked with him before and he's an outstanding leader. He's a really strong leader of men and in the time that he's had in any sort of leadership positions which he's held previously, he's been able to excel I'm sure," McCullum told reporters during a press conference in Kolkata on Monday.

"He's only just sort of got underway with this team, but there's no doubt that he'll be the best out of the talent that he's got, and we've got to find a way to be able to counter that with our own style," he added.

'Everyone's approaches are unique'

McCullum opines that having first-class experience as a coach is not a necessity to succeed in international cricket. He states that everyone's approaches are different, and each coach needs time to settle in.

It is important to state that Gambhir and McCullum have shared the dressing room in the past when they played for Kolkata Knight Riders.

Gambhir has an impeccable record in the IPL. He first led KKR to two IPL title wins in 2012 and 2014. Then as a mentor, he first led Lucknow Super Giants to playoffs in consecutive years – 2022 and 2023. Then as a mentor of KKR in 2024, he oversaw the franchise's third IPL title win.

"I don't really know, sometimes I don't even know if coach is the right word to be honest. I think everyone does things really differently, and everyone's approaches are very unique and from how I try and operate, I think it's probably less of a coach and try and make sure that the environment is a happy and enjoyable environment where you guys feel as if they can push their talents and push themselves towards the uncomfortable situations and know that there's still going to be that support and that care there afterwards and be encouraged to go again towards those," said McCullum.

"Other coaches are very different, they like to run quite structured, quite technical. Other coaches are probably a bit more regimented in the way that they go about things, but I guess it's really different," he added.

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