3 min readUpdated: Apr 15, 2026 05:29 PM IST
Munaf Patel has a warning for Indian cricket. “Yaad rakh lena — agar Gautam Gambhir jaisa head coach hat gaya na, toh player ko handle karna mushkil ho jaega.” [Remember this — if a head coach like Gautam Gambhir leaves, handling the players will become very difficult.]
The former India pacer said this on Bombay Sport Exchange, TOI Sports’ YouTube show.
His reasoning is straightforward. At this level of Indian cricket, with Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in the dressing room, coaching is almost beside the point. Every top player has his own trainer, his own support staff, his own world.
“Ye level pe kya hi coaching kar loge? Aapko manage karna hi sabse important hai.” [At this level, what coaching can you really do? Managing people is the most important thing.]
And man-management at this level, Munaf argues, is not easy.
“Virat Kohli ko ek cheez ‘na’ karke dikha de koi banda. Rohit Sharma ko ek cheez ‘na’ karke dikha de koi.” [Show me one person who can say ‘no’ to Virat Kohli. Show me one person who can say it to Rohit Sharma.]
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What Gambhir brings, in Munaf’s view, is something simpler and rarer — the credibility to drop anyone. Including the big names.
“Sabko maloom hai ki agar koi bhi idhar udhar hua toh usme wo dum hai ki usko drop bhi kar sakta hai.” [Everyone knows that if anyone steps out of line, he has the guts to drop them.] That fear, Munaf says, is what keeps the team functioning as a team rather than a collection of individuals.
He is also clear that Gambhir is not doing this for the money. Ten IPL franchises would welcome him tomorrow, he says.
“Usko koi zaroorat nahi hai.” [He doesn’t need it.] He is there because he genuinely loves cricket — and that, Munaf believes, is exactly why it is working.
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The ICC trophies are coming now, back to back, after seventeen years of near-misses despite running the biggest league in the world. Munaf credits the players, not the coach. But he is certain about one thing.
“Jitne saal kheench sakte ho kheechtey raho. Us jaisa insaan aapko dobara nahi milega.” [Hold on to him for as long as you can. You will not find another person like him].
