"Duniya idhar k udhar ho jaye lekin"- Irfan Pathan drops secret sauce of Gautam Gambhir's coaching during ongoing ENG vs IND 3rd Test

Everyone is well aware of how stiff Gautam Gambhir is when he is doing a job for the national side, whether it’s about scoring runs at the opening position, mentoring a franchise, or handling the responsibility of the team. For several reasons, the former left-handed player is often criticized, but the former Indian all-rounder, Irfan Pathan, reveals a cracking statement about the Delhi-born.

Pathan was present in the Hindi show by the Sony Sports network, where he narrates how Gautam Gambhir will go to the last step in backing a player. He revealed that the former opener has a unique character that always shows immense trust in the players till the end. Irfan Pathan brought the examples of both Andre Russell and Sunil Narine and how the West Indies duo got supported by the KKR side.

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“He knows how to back a player. The entire world can go to one side, but the player whom Gautam Gambhir has selected will get backed no matter what happens. You remember the time when Andre Russell was playing for the Delhi side but got the chance in the KKR team. Sunil Narine even came to the side when Gambhir was the captain of the franchise.” Pathan addressed during the interaction.

Watch: Irfan Pathan narrates how Gautam Gambhir backs a player

The veteran also extended by giving the examples of how the experienced player supported his brother, Yusuf Pathan, who was a vital member of the side in the past. Pathan also looked back at the time in 2012 when he was making a comeback on the side under Gambhir, given that MS Dhoni was on break. The game was in Chennai when Gambhir was having a word with Pathan, and he advised me to relax all the way.

Gautam Gambhir was not in the coaching role until the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) hired him as the mentor of the side during their first two seasons of the league. Later, he returned for the Knight Riders in the 2024 edition and helped them earn their third title. This strengthened his CV as he became the head coach of the Indian side.

Under his coaching, the Blue Brigade won the T20I series in Sri Lanka and also lifted the Champions Trophy 2025. The red-ball series hasn’t been good though, with the national side losing both at home against New Zealand and then against Australia down under.