Gautam Gambhir likely to don the mentor's hat for the first time

What's the story?

Gautam Gambhir is now planning to step into the shoes of a mentor for the first time in his career. This two-time World Cup winner is eyeing on a role of mentor in the next season of Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL). According to the reports in Times of India, Gambhir is in talks with a few franchises. However, the final decision regarding this step has not been taken yet.

“Yes, I am in talks with few franchises for a mentoring role,” said Gambhir. He also clarified that he has no intentions of playing in the tournament. “This tournament is for the upcoming Indian youngsters. It is the platform for the local talent. I don't want to block a young talent by playing in the TNPL,” said the two-time IPL winning captain.

In case you didn't know...

TNPL already has a long list of former International players associated with its franchises in the role of a mentor. Lance Klusener is the coach of Kovai Kings while Robin Singh mentors Karaikudi Kaalai. Last year, Brett Lee mentored Kanchi Warriors whereas Michael Bevan was associated with Madurai Super Giants.

Gautam Gambhir, on the other hand, was in fantastic form in the IPL. With 498 runs in his bag, Gambhir finished second in the run charts. He has also captained 122 matches in IPL and has a win percentage of 56.56%. This is the first time he will be associated with any team as a coach.

The heart of the matter

According to the reports, Gautam Gambhir is in talks with four franchises and submitted separate presentations to them. He also made it clear that he is looking forward to an in-depth role and has no interest in taking up a decorated job which will account for a mere marketing stunt.

Gambhir is not willing to compromise on his playing career. He will continue to play domestic cricket for Delhi and in IPL, hopeful of making his comeback in the Indian team. However, it is the novelty of the job which has his attention.

What's next?

Gautam Gambhir will be a big name on the board if he finally decides to be associated with any franchise in TNPL. Since Gambhir will be new to this set of responsibilities, it will fetch a different perspective from him. His experience will also help him spot players who have a lot of potential and need to be acknowledged at higher levels.

Author's take

Mentoring is not an easy job as it requires the coach to nurture the players and prepare them ahead of big games, both physically and mentally. Gambhir's captaincy record affirms that he can be excellent in this role provided there is a good rapport built with the team where the two can work for better performances on grounds of mutual respect.

Coaching the teams will also fetch him a new experience which he can mould to refine his game. Most importantly, we never know if Gambhir can spot the next stars of Indian cricket and push them forward to claim the glory they can achieve.