"Everything is good when you win but fingers are pointed when you lose" - Veda Krishnamurthy on Gautam Gambhir's appointment as India's head coach

Veda Krishnamurthy reckons Gautam Gambhir has been correctly chosen as India's next head coach. She pointed out that the former India opener knows how to handle both praise and criticism.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah recently announced Gambhir's appointment as India's next head coach. He has taken over from Rahul Dravid, who led the Men in Blue to the 2024 T20 World Cup title.

During a discussion on Sports 18, Krishnamurthy was asked about her thoughts on Gambhir's appointment at the helm of the coaching staff.

"You can see why he has been chosen. He was aggressive and a competitor as a cricketer. He had the fire within to win every game. We have seen him for many years in the IPL. His team were the champions twice when he was leading as a captain. So he knows how to lead a team to victory. I am sure he will come with the same drive as a coach," she responded.

"Exciting days ahead, there are many important tournaments, so there will be immediate hurdles and we know the job is not easy. Everything is good when you win but fingers are pointed when you lose. He is the best person to face that as well because he will go and sit in front of the media and tell them to ask whatever they want," the Indian women's cricketer added.

Gambhir represented India in 242 games across formats. He played match-defining knocks in the 2007 T20I and 2011 ODI World Cup finals.

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"He has the habit of winning big tournaments" - Reema Malhotra on Gautam Gambhir

Gautam Gambhir mentored the Kolkata Knight Riders to the IPL 2024 title. [P/C: iplt20.com]

In the same discussion, Reema Malhotra acknowledged that Gautam Gambhir has a tough task ahead but pointed out that he is known for winning big tournaments.

"The goal is simple but the path won't be that easy because it's the toughest job. However, I feel he has the habit of winning big tournaments. He is extremely passionate and will come with a challenge. He will definitely come with new thinking and will be given a new team, especially in T20Is, as the big names have retired," she said during the same discussion.

The former India all-rounder expects the Men in Blue to flourish under the hard taskmaster.

"I feel he is a coach where you cannot take anything for granted in the dressing room. He gets passion and drive with him, and along with that calmness. It will be interesting to see how he fares with the Indian team. They will definitely not disintegrate but flourish. Since it's Gautam Gambhir, he will definitely bring one trophy with himself," Malhotra elaborated.

Apart from being part of India's 2007 T20I and 2011 ODI World Cup-winning teams, Gambhir led the Kolkata Knight Riders to IPL titles in 2012 and 2014. He also mentored the Kolkata-based franchise to their third IPL trophy this year.