Former India captain Kapil Dev on Thursday stirred debate around the role of a modern-day head coach, saying that Gautam Gambhir “can’t be a coach” in the traditional sense and is better described as a team manager.
The comments come at a time when Gambhir is under pressure following India’s 0-2 Test series loss to South Africa, with critics questioning his methods, particularly frequent player rotation and dependence on part-time options. Kapil, however, framed the discussion around how the meaning of coaching itself has evolved in modern cricket.
Speaking at the Indian Chamber of Commerce ICC Centenary Session, Kapil argued that international players no longer require conventional coaching. “Today that word called a coach… ‘coach’ is a very common word today. Gautam Gambhir can’t be a coach. He can be a manager of the team,” he said.
Drawing a distinction between grassroots coaching and elite-level management, Kapil added, “When you say coach, coach is where I learn in the school and college. Those were the people, my coach there. They can manage me.”
Kapil also questioned the practicality of a head coach providing technical guidance to highly specialised players. “How can you be a coach when they have given a name to let’s say anybody a leg spinner? How can Gautam can be a coach to a leg spinner or to the wicket-keeper?” he asked.
Instead, Kapil stressed that the job is about man-management and motivation. “I think you have to manage. That’s more important. As a manager, you give them encouragement to say you can do it because when you become a manager, the young boys look up to you,” he said.
He underlined that creating a sense of comfort within the group is central to leadership. “How can my manager or captain can give me that comfort and that’s what the manager and captain’s job is — to give comfort to the team and always say ‘you can do better’. That’s the way I look at it.”
Reflecting on his own time as India captain, Kapil said his focus was often on players struggling for form rather than those enjoying success. “I think you have to give comfort to the people who are not playing well. If somebody made a hundred I don’t want to have a drink and dinner with him,” he said.
“There are a lot of people there… As a captain, I would like to have a drink with people, or I like to have a dinner with people who are not performing,” Kapil added, explaining how such gestures help rebuild confidence.
Emphasising the broader responsibilities of leadership, he concluded, “You need to give them the confidence and that’s what happens. So I think it’s very important as a captain and your role is not only your performance, it is also about putting the team together.”
