As India prepares to face Namibia at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, the occasion carries special significance for head coach Gautam Gambhir. Delhi is not only his home city but also the venue where a stand bears his name, a tribute to his contributions to Indian cricket.
He had also hosted the entire Indian team for dinner at his home when they landed for the upcoming clash. Speaking ahead of the fixture, Gambhir reflected on what returning home means to him, especially in a profession defined by pressure and scrutiny.
“You’re around your family, so for me, home has always been special. Obviously, it’s tough because you go through a lot of lonely nights as well; you go through a lot of nights when things don’t go your way. It’s sometimes a very challenging profession as well.
So when you’ve got your trusted support staff, they normally become as close as your family because you can share a lot of emotions with them,” Gambhir said in a bcci.tv video. “Infact when you’re in this profession, you share a lot more emotions with them as compared to what you share with your family.
They know the ups and downs of this profession. They know how it feels when things don’t go your way. Support staff is not just support staff; it’s actually more than a family,” he added. For Gambhir, the emotional demands of elite sport make the dressing room bond indispensable.
While the intensity of competition is unavoidable, he stressed the importance of maintaining balance within the squad environment. “Once the game gets started, it’s always tense; it’s always full of pressure. You want to train as hard as you can.
But in the dressing room and during the practice session, whenever you get an opportunity, you try and be as relaxed as you can; you can joke around. I think a lot depends on the captain as well. A lot depends on the captain and how he wants the atmosphere.
“There have to be moments when guys can be themselves, and there has to be a funny moment somewhere, be it in the practice sessions or in the dressing room. Everyone has a funny side to it. So make sure we try and get that out of every individual, and that is something which will keep the atmosphere light as well.
But once the game is over, during the practice sessions, you have to try and have a funny side, and more importantly, it keeps things very relaxed,” he stated. However, Gambhir was candid about the results-driven nature of the sport, acknowledging that the mood within the camp ultimately hinges on outcomes, as he said, “The only time players or support staff can smile is when you go into a winning dressing room.
As simple as it can get. It’s a result-orientated profession, it’s a result-orientated sport, and unfortunately, there can only be one winner, and when you go back as a winner in the dressing room, there are always more smiles as compared to when you lose a game, so yes, a winning dressing room is a smiling dressing room.”
“Irrespective of how the day has panned out, you go back home, meet your loved ones, and they’re going to receive you, and they’re going to greet you the same way as they normally do. That’s why I say home is love, and home is where you get peace,” he concluded.