Indian spinner Varun Chakravarthy shared his thoughts on what mindset the head coach Gautam Gambhir has instilled in the team. Gautam Gambhir, who took the reins of coaching the Indian cricket team following the victory of the T20 World Cup 2024, and his successful mentorship stint at Kolkata Knight Riders. While his mentorship was not received well, due to a lack of domestic coaching. He went on to silence the critics by guiding India to their second Champions Trophy success.

Chakravarthy, who previously worked under Gambhir at KKR during their IPL-winning campaign, described the former opener’s approach as rooted in a “Spartan” mentality. “Having already worked with him in the IPL, I knew what to expect. He brings a mindset where losing isn’t an option. You must give everything on the field — mediocrity simply isn’t tolerated. When he’s around, the intensity automatically rises,” Chakaravarthy said at the CEAT Cricket Awards, as quoted by NDTV.

Varun Chakravarthy opens up on ODI snub

After Gambhir’s appointment, Varun Chakravarthy became a crucial T20 bowler, and even rose in ICC T20I rankings as a bowler. However, he was left out of the upcoming squad for Australia tour, despite playing a key role in the Champions Trophy.

Addressing his omission, Chakravarthy revealed that Gambhir encouraged him to focus on adapting to the demands of ODI cricket and enhancing his batting skills. “The conversations were about bowling longer spells. In T20s, you usually bowl two overs at a stretch, but in ODIs, it’s about sustaining five to six overs continuously. I worked on that and managed it well during the Champions Trophy. He also wants me to bat higher up in domestic cricket and improve my overall contribution,” he explained.

Chakravarthy’s comments highlight the culture shift under Gambhir’s leadership, built on discipline, intensity.