Legendary South African cricketer Jonty Rhodes believes that the Indian team will get stronger under new coach Gautam Gambhir and said that the former opener has the ability to make an instant impact on any team. “Wherever GG (Gautam Gambhir) goes, he leaves an impact, we saw it when he left Lucknow Super Giants and went to Kolkata Knight Riders, the impact he had,” Rhodes told PTI at the launch event of the Pro Cricket League on Saturday.
“He's a very practical guy and certainly someone who knows what he wants and says what he thinks.
“Gambhir is leaving no stone unturned and now that he has taken charge of the Indian team, it will only get better and better,” he added.
Rhodes, who is the fielding coach of Lucknow Super Giants, also lauded the appointment of Zaheer Khan as the mentor of the IPL team.
He said Zaheer's calmness will help the team overcome tense situations during a game.
“In the IPL, what you need is a calm mind to play cricket, especially in the dugout. You need calm-headed people because the situation gets very tense.
“If emotions start to get the better of you, it affects everyone sitting in the dugout or on the pitch. In those situations, it's great to have someone like Zak (Zaheer) because he brings the skills and the knowledge, and he also brings the drive,” he said.
“We have worked together at Mumbai Indians and he is technically very sound.” There are rumours that Rohit Sharma will replace KL Rahul at LSG.
“I spent a lot of time with Rohit Sharma at Mumbai Indians and I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to watch him play there. Changes, if any, will not be my decision and I am not worried about them at the moment,” Rhodes said.
Rhodes also compared young LSG batsman Ayush Badoni to former Proteas great Herschelle Gibbs after the latter broke the record of smashing the most number of sixes (19) by a batsman in a single innings of a T20 game in the ongoing Delhi Premier League.
“He's a precocious talent, that's for sure. He's short, so he has a low centre of gravity. He can hit good long balls anywhere on the pitch, he has very quick hands. Justin Langer was very impressed with the great talent he has,” he said.
“He reminds me a little bit of Herschelle Gibbs. He has tremendous hitting ability and when you combine that with calmness, presence of mind and a good game plan, he becomes a very tough guy to beat because he can execute conventional and unconventional shots with ease.”
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