Harshit Rana, the right-arm fast bowler, who played with the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) under the mentorship of Gautam Gambhir, has a huge admiration for the current Indian head coach, who helped them lift their third title of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2024. Rana comments on Gambhir’s mental toughness.

The Delhi-born addressed how the former India opening batter had his eyes focused on the IPL trophy of the season, besides putting the glue in their team bonding every time. He also shed light on the backing he displayed behind them as a team, irrespective of domestic, national, or foreign players.

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“Not like that intense, but he is focused. If he has decided to do something, then he will not let anything come around that. That’s the thing with him. I never had jokes with him, but the best thing about KKR that season was the bonding. He kept us together. His backing and mental toughness him was incredible.” Rana addressed during a recent podcast with Beer Biceps.

Watch: Harshit Rana comments on how Gautam Gambhir changed KKR during IPL 2024

Rana was excellent in that season with the ball, finishing as the fifth leading wicket-taker with 19 scalps in 11 innings at an average of 20.15 and an economy rate of 9.08, thanks to the best bowling figure of 3/24 in an innings. Varun Chakravarthy of KKR ended as the second-highest wicket-taker with 21 scalps at 19.14.

🗣️ Harshit Rana on Gautam Gambhir’s mentality, toughness, backing, and what he changed at KKR :pic.twitter.com/zvxqL9K3lz

— KKR Karavan (@KkrKaravan) August 6, 2025

“From the very first day, he always used to tell us that we should keep our focus on the 26th because we had to lift the trophy on that evening. The very first day when he came to the dressing room, he said that we should keep an eye on the 26th and see ourselves lifting the trophy on that day. Every day, that was the discussion, whether you lose or win, it doesn’t matter.” The Knight Riders’ bowler revealed.

Later, the 23-year-old went on to make his debut in the longest format during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25, besides playing six white-ball games for the Blue Brigade. He will look to work on his fitness and performance to get back into the national side.

Indian will take on England in the fifth Test scheduled to commence on July 31 at the Kennington Oval. England are ahead in the series with a margin of 2-1 and the final showdown provides India with a chance of a rare feat of levelling the series in England. India have shown their prowess with the bat in the last game where crucial partnerships avoided a potential loss in Manchester.

Having said that, India’s bowling has not been upto the mark in the last game as the pacers failed to fetch regular wickets providing timely freebies to the English batters. Ahead of the final Test, India Head Coach, Gautam Gambhir was involved in a pep talk with the team and made the team realise the importance of the upcoming game and the potential of the team to decimate the opposition.

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Watch the video here:

4 Tests ✅

Time for One Final Push in the series finale 👍

𝙇𝙚𝙩'𝙨 𝙂𝙊! 👏👏#TeamIndia | #ENGvIND pic.twitter.com/pj8a7AXb8N

— BCCI (@BCCI) July 31, 2025

“Guys, all I want to say is there are two ways of looking at this tour. One is that we are without our three most experienced players. We got this phenomenal opportunity to do something special for the country because there is no bigger honour,” said Gambhir in a video uploaded by BCCI.

India to make major changes to the playing XI

India are without the services of Nitish Kumar Reddy and Arshdeep Singh and Jasprit Bumrah’s availability for the final Test also looms under cloudy sky. It would be interesting see if Indian brings back Akash Deep and Karun Nair in the playing XI in their aim to level the series

There was so much focus on the first press conference of the Indian team during their optional practice session ahead of the fifth Test of the five-match series at the Kennington Oval in South London. The series is already spiced up after the Lord’s altercation and the Manchester handshake saga. Now, it has got a new chapter of altercation between the coach and the curator.  

India’s head coach, Gautam Gambhir, and later the batting coach of the side, Shitanshu Kotak, were engaged in a heated altercation with the Surrey curator, Lee Fortis, as the former was heard to be telling Fortis not to tell him what to do. It was not known what happened until Kotak met the media.

See Also: [WATCH] Gautam Gambhir angry on groundsmen ahead of ENG vs IND 5th Test at Kennington Oval

‘When we were having a conversation near the pitch. They had sent a man to send a message for us to stay 2.5 m away from the pitch. We were wearing joggers. We know curators are possessive about the square. What he said about the head coach is his opinion, and I don’t want to comment. We did nothing wrong; we were wearing rubber spikes.’ Kotak expressed in the press conference.

Shitanshu Kotak comments on Gautam Gambhir's curator controversy ahead of ENG vs IND 5th Test

Most of the players from the last game’s playing eleven decided to take an extra off-day, as Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Akash Deep, and Anshul Kamboj turned up for the optional session. Sai Sudharsan was the first to hit the nets as he kept batting practice.

People are highly skilled and intelligent. None of the bowlers was even wearing spikes. You can be protective but not arrogant. It is not an antique that you can’t touch. He said we are trying to grow the grass. At the end of the day, it’s a cricket pitch. We will not be lodging any complaints.’ Kotak shed light.

Due to India’s incredible performance with the bat, they were able to draw the game in Manchester and will now have a chance to walk off the trip with a 2-2 margin, something which looked like a daydream after losing the opening Headingley Test.

Just two days before the final and deciding Test between India and England, things turned tense at The Oval. India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir got into a heated argument with the pitch curator, Lee Fortis, on Tuesday afternoon.

As reported by Times of India, the discussion started politely but quickly became aggressive. Gambhir, unhappy with the pitch or the arrangements, seemed frustrated and was seen pointing fingers during the exchange. At one point, he reportedly said, “You don't tell us what to do.”

The situation got so intense that India’s batting coach Sitanshu Kotak had to step in and calm things down. After the clash, Lee Fortis and the ground staff threatened to file an official complaint against Gambhir’s behaviour.

🚨 A COMPLAINT AGAINST GAUTAM GAMBHIR AT OVAL 🚨

- The Oval stadium's staff have threatened to lodge a complaint against the India Head coach Gautam Gambhir. (Sahil Malhotra/TOI). pic.twitter.com/JZRO1KQOBE

— Tanuj (@ImTanujSingh) July 29, 2025

But Gambhir didn’t back down. He replied, “You can go and report to whoever you want, but you can't tell us what to do.” It's still unclear what exactly caused the argument. The Indian team’s security head was called in, and Kotak was later seen talking to the Surrey media manager to explain what happened. A press conference is expected later in the day, which might provide more details.

ALSO READ: ENG vs IND 5th Test: After Anshul Kamboj, another pacer can make Test debut, decision to come soon

England currently lead the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2-1, and India are hoping to level the series after their brave draw in Manchester. After the fourth Test, Gambhir had praised his team. “They want to fight for the common man back home,” he said. “A lot of people had written us off, but this team showed great spirit.” “These players in the dressing room are fighters. They’ll keep giving everything for the country,” he added.

It has not been a great start for the Indian team on their first optional session two days before the start of the fifth and final Test of the five-match series against England at the Kennington Oval in South London, where their head coach, Gautam Gambhir, was seen to be engaged in a heated argument with the Surrey groundsmen during the net session. It was the day after the tourits reached London with aim to level the series after their incredible performance to draw the fourth game at Old Trafford in Manchester.

The reports have claimed that there were several finger-wragging on the groundsmen from the former Indian opening batter after he was upset with something. Later, the batting coach of the side, Sitanshu Kotak, jumped into the altercation because he was also animated with the pitch curator, Lee Fortis. The head coach was heard saying, 'you don't tell me what to do.' Definitely something has happened which didn't satify the Indian coach. 

See Also: [WATCH] Will Joe Root surpass Sachin Tendulkar's most Test runs? Former England star predicts

Fortis later was seen to be involved in a lengthy chat with Kotay, perhaps trying to understand him the entire story. At first, the curator walked away from Gautam and was engaged in a discussion with Kotak. The former returned to his place to oversee the net session of the touring party. Fortis, from a distance, was watching the Blue Brigade's net session. 

Watch: Gautam Gambhir angry on groundsmen ahead of ENG vs IND 5th Test at Kennington Oval

Most of the players involved during the Manchester clash decided to skip the optional session after five days' of hard work. However, Kuldeep Yadav, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, and other were part of the practice as one of these players are expected to return to the playing eleven for the series decider. Sai Sudharsan, who had 60 and a duck at Old Trafford, was the first to hit the nets. 

🚨 Just In: Gautam Gambhir involved in a heated argument with The Oval Stadium’s pitch curator.
Here’s a glimpse of the confrontation — full video drops soon on our YouTube channel! 👀📹 #Gambhir #OvalTest #Cricket #ENGvsIND #INDvsENG
📸 @AnkanKar pic.twitter.com/gJlwWU6u5Z

— Ray Sportz Cricket (@raysportz_cric) July 29, 2025

It has already been a spicy series between the two sides. It started with the tourists went after Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett, the two home openers, for wasting time during the end of the third day of the third Test at Lord's. 

It went to a mad position when Ben Stokes' proposal of drawing the Manhcester Test at the start of te last hour was denied by the two batters in the middle, Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar, both of whom were nearing their milestone after four hours of hard work in challenging conditions. 

The fourth Test between England and India at Old Trafford in Manchester hasn’t been a fun week for the bowlers. In both camps, after six weeks of the series, there are some tired and heavy legs. In that case, the question has arisen whether they would gain full fitness for the fifth fixture at the Kennington Oval in South London.

India faces a selection dilemma ahead of the contest. Their head coach, Gautam Gambhir, before the start of the series, made it clear that they would keep their premier pacer, Jasprit Bumrah, only in three games of the series, which has already been completed. But with the series in line, questions have emerged on whether he would look to change his decision.

See Also: [WATCH] ‘I didn’t…’- Former England captain reacts to India refusing to shake hands in ENG vs IND 4th Test in Manchester

"All the fast bowlers are fit. There are no injury concerns. We haven't had any conversation around the combination for the last Test. No decision has been made on whether Jasprit Bumrah will play or not. Ultimately, whoever plays, they will try to do the job for the country.’ Gambhir expressed in the press conference.

India’s coach Gautam Gambhir hints at Jasprit Bumrah’s availability in Eng vs Ind 5th Test

It means that both the injured pacers, Arshdeep Singh and Akash Deep, who were ruled out of the encounters, have regained their fitness. It was a heavy workload for Bumrah, who bowled 33 overs in their lone innings with the ball. The eyes will also be on Mohammed Siraj, who looked tired by the end of the innings.

‘If he (Bumrah) feels like he's fully fit and available for us, I think it would be a great deal for us. If he's not playing, I still think we have the right kind of bowling attack.’ India’s captain, Shubman Gill, said to the BBC. A victory in South London will mean that it will draw the series 2-2.

India is currently in the fourth position in the WTC points table with a PCT of 33.33, while England is just over them in the ladder with 54.17. Rishabh Pant, the wicket-keeper and batter, has already been ruled out of the fifth and final game of the series, as the management has called N Jagadeesan for the Oval Test.

Indian Team have won the Champions Trophy silverware on 9th of March. Gambhir had a tactical team of all rounders which landed on Dubai avoiding Pakistan due to security reasons whom were the host. India played their league matches in Dubai where they played against Bangladesh, Pakistan and New Zealand outplaying their opponents. India traided with spin all rounders which helped them a lot. 

Earlier Gautam Gambhir selection were scrutinised under the radar favoring his favorite club. His partnership with Rohit Sharma was also as valuable it depicted, soon it was all value for worth. Though World Cup loss in 2023 were always been running and the recent series loses where quite on backdrop which tempted whether this team can outplay the other team. 

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India On Their Second Triumph

India had a tremendous champions Trophy campaign where they started the tournament by beating Bangladesh by 6 wickets, it was an intense match against the arch-rival Pakistan where Kohli's century decimated the chase and next came the black caps where Chakravarthy magic made them stunned and India's won their league matches with six points. The next game was with Australia but Gambhir and Co followed the same pattern. 

Australia too had a great matchup led by Smith, it was a definite match for India to give a strong reply to the World Cup loss. It was Travis Head with the proceeding but couldn't last long against Chakravarthy. Though Australia put upon the competitive total where India chased it beautifully but were under pressure. It was the semi-final between the finals of last year's T20 World Cup. Here too India had the upper hand and reached the final to face New Zealand. Both teams had an epic clash where India regained the victory on their second attempt and won the trophy for 3rd time. 

Read more: I Still Need 4-5 ICC Trophies For India After The Champions Trophy Win.

Gambhir Reaches England

After the successful Champions Trophy, India's next target would be the England series played in England. In between there is a schedule of IPL where players would be under the franchise scheme of things and Gambhir would have two months off though he is spending the time with India A team and it reported that he would be travelling with them to England to access the conditions and planning the things. India is set to travel to England to play the 5-match test series which starts from 20 June to August 5.

Ahead of this main tour. India A team will be touring England for three four-day matches in England against their local team. Many test-playing members will be there in those matches which would be easy to access the situation.  It's been noted that coach Gautam will be travelling with the team. It has been staked that earlier no head coach had travelled like that, In these tours BCCI sends some of the known faces or the coaches who train young talents. Though Gambhir had volunteered himself seeking permission with BCCI to monitor the ongoing proceedings of the team. It would be helpful for him to evaluate the players from Team A who possess the talent to play for India. 

After mentoring Lucknow Super Giants to a top-four finish in the IPL in their maiden outing, former India batter Gautam Gambhir has been elevated to the role of “global mentor” by the Sanjiv Goenka-led RPSG Group. In addition to his role with the Lucknow franchise. “He is one of the sharpest cricketing minds going around,” a statement from the RPSG Group read. “The group feels he can not only add value in Indian conditions but across the cricketing map as well.”

Also, Gambhir, a two-time IPL winning captain, was present in the dug out for all of Super Giants’ games in the IPL, and was a key member of the Lucknow franchise’s think-tank at the auction too. “In my ideology of a team sport, designations don’t play much role,” Gambhir was quoted as saying in the statement. “At best, they are there to facilitate a process to make a team win. As a global mentor of Super Giants I look forward to some added responsibility.

Also Read: IN-W vs PA-W, T20: The losing blame game

I look forward to some added responsibility- Gambhir

“My intensity and passion to win have just got international wings. It will be a proud moment to see the Super Giants family leave a global imprint. Earlier, he thanks Super Giants family for showing that faith in me. Guess it’s time for some more sleepless nights.” Gambhir will now also be working closely with the Durban franchise’s head coach Lance Klusener. On Friday, Klusener stepped down as batting coach of the Zimbabwe men’s team to “pursue professional engagements around the globe.”

The Durban franchise has a few other crossovers from the Lucknow team, with Quinton de Kock, Jason Holder and Kyle Mayers. 5 players signed up by the franchise ahead the SA20 auction, while the likes of Reece Topley, Dwaine Pretorius, Heinrich Klaasen, Keemo Paul, Keshav Maharaj, Kyle Abbott, Dilshan Madushanka and Wiaan Mulder were added during the auction.

On Sunday, India fell to Pakistan in their Super-4 stage opener. The Babar Azam-led team won the Asia Cup match at the Dubai International Stadium by five wickets after a thrilling encounter that lasted till the very last over. India had an excellent chance to defeat Pakistan in the present continental tournament after scoring 181 for 7 in the allotted 20 overs, but Pakistan won thanks to Mohammad Rizwan’s 71 off 51 balls and Mohammad Nawaz’s vital cameo of 42 off 20 balls.

On Tuesday, India plays Sri Lanka in a game that must be won. Before the game, former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir recommended that the team management insert Avesh Khan in favour of Yuzvendra Chahal in the starting XI.

The young leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi, according to the former India opener, should be given a “longer run.”

“Avesh (Khan) for (Yuzvendra) Chahal. Definitely continue with Ravi Bishnoi, he has done everything in this game. Chahal hasn’t bowled that well in this competition so probably it is time to give Bishnoi a longer run,”

said Gambhir on Star Sports after the match against Pakistan on Sunday

Against Pakistan last week, Bishnoi had four overs with a 1 for 26 strike rate. Avesh was not on the team for the Super-4 game, and Chahal had a 1-for-43 record in his four overs.

ALSO READ:  Asia Cup 2022 – Challenge To Face World Beaters India: Sri Lanka’s Dasun Shanaka

Avesh and Chahal both participated in India’s opening game of the season against Pakistan on August 28. Chahal allowed 32 runs without taking a wicket in four overs, compared to Avesh’s 19 runs for one wicket in two overs.

In the second game, which was against Hong Kong, Chahal had a four-over average of 0 for 18, while Avesh had a four-over average of 53 runs for one wicket.

Veteran opener Gautam Gambhir gave his opinion on Team India’s split captaincy – Rohit Sharma (white-ball) and Virat Kohli (red-ball). The BCCI has brought back the split captaincy to Indian cricket after several years as Kohli decided to relinquish T20I captaincy. However, he was sacked from his ODI leadership as the selectors wanted to have a single captain for white-ball formats. Several cricket critics welcome the appointment of Rohit’s appointment as ODI captain, however, some of them also criticized the handling of the situation.

Gambhir, who is very vocal about his opinions, said that it’s a very good sign for Indian cricket and Rohit will get enough time to groom the team in the limited-overs format. “I think it’s good for Indian cricket that now we have got two captains, one in red-ball cricket and one in white-ball cricket, so Rohit will get enough time to groom white-ball cricket – whether it is the T20 format or ODI format,” Gambhir said on Star Sports. The former India opener heaped huge praise on Rohit and said Indian cricket is in very safe hands with the Hitman as the leader in white-ball cricket.

“I feel Rohit Sharma as a leader will definitely do really well for Indian cricket. Plus Indian cricket is in very safe hands, especially in white-ball cricket.” “He has won five IPL titles. He must be doing something right as compared to other captains,” said the former Indian opener. Gambhir further emphasized Rohit’s calm attitude which will help the entire squad. “At the same time, his calmness and sometimes his laidback attitude as well, keeping things very relaxed. At the same time, not pushing players too hard, and he himself is a very chilled-out character, which actually helps the entire squad,” he added.

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‘You Will See The Same Virat Kohli, for India- Gambhir

Rohit has a tremendous winning percentage of 80 as an ODI captain with 8 wins out of 10 matches. His first assignment as the permanent ODI captain will come next month on the South Africa tour. The swashbuckling opener is also announced as the new vice-captain of India’s Test team replacing Ajinkya Rahane. Former India opener Gautam Gambhir feels Virat Kohli will come with double the intensity, and the captaincy saga won’t bother him in the near future. The 33-year-old was sacked as India’s ODI skipper on Wednesday sending shockwaves across the cricket world.

Kohli’s sacking came at a moment when the 33-year-old had made it very clear that he would like to lead the side in ODIs in the near future while stepping down from the position of T20 captain. Critics do feel that he might lack the intensity when he returns in the blue jersey. However, Gambhir didn’t feel so. “I am sure India will see the best of Virat Kohli, whether it is red-ball cricket or white-ball cricket. At the same time, the kind of passion he has shown over such a long period of time or the energy, you are going to see the same out of Virat Kohli, whether he is the captain or not.”

“I am sure he is going to make India proud, he is going to keep getting runs in white-ball cricket or in red-ball cricket. At the same time, there will be two different guys probably giving their own thoughts, giving their own vision for the team.” He added Kohli is such a player who wouldn’t lose his passion and energy despite all the off-field saga that is happening around him. He said no captaincy might free him up which means a renewed, more aggressive Kohli. “Same as Rohit Sharma’s role in red-ball cricket, it’s just that captaincy is not there. It might just free Virat Kohli up much more.”

Kohli was sacked of his position by the BCCI with the President Sourav Ganguly justifying the decision. He said Kohli was asked not to step down from the position of T20 skipper, but he chose not to listen citing workload. The BCCI didn’t want multiple captains in white-ball cricket, he informed News 18 in an exclusive.