Ravichandran Ashwin frames IPL as key to Gautam Gambhir's coaching arc: ‘Has already left a bit of stamp’

By Admin

29 Nov, 2025

India’s cricketing ecosystem is buzzing with contrasting conversations about Gautam Gambhir. On one hand, loud criticism follows the team’s recent Test struggles a 408-run hammering against South Africa in Guwahati, a 2-0 home whitewash, and rising debates on whether India needs a specialised red-ball coach. On the other hand, Gambhir’s white-ball credentials remain unimpeachable, strengthened by his successful Champions Trophy and Asia Cup campaigns.

It is this second side India’s new face in limited-overs cricket that Ravichandran Ashwin spotlighted in a recent YouTube chat with AB de Villiers. Instead of participating in the red-ball critique, Ashwin pivoted the narrative towards the growing evolution under “GG,” especially in T20s.

GG’s Impressive Stint in White-Ball Cricket

Ashwin captured the sentiment with one powerful line: “I think GG, the white-ball coach, has already left a bit of a stamp.”
That statement reflects how deeply Gambhir has reshaped India’s white-ball identity. Under his tenure, the team has embraced a more aggressive selection strategy favouring fearless hitters, strengthening depth, and redefining the hierarchy of attacking roles.

This is the same coach who has delivered the 2025 Champions Trophy and the Asia Cup by backing bolder ideas and players comfortable with modern white-ball demands. Gambhir’s style, forged in the pressure-cooker IPL environment, now influences the national team’s mindset.

IPL’s Influence on GG’s Coaching Philosophy

Ashwin was quick to highlight the real engine behind India’s new T20 template the IPL.
“It’s thrown up some really stunning, stunning white-ball cricketers for India,” he said, connecting Gambhir’s national-team leadership to his IPL-honed coaching DNA.

Lucknow. KKR. And now Team India.
Gambhir’s coaching journey is shaped by franchise cricket, and the IPL remains both his talent reservoir and his validation platform.

One player, according to Ashwin, particularly represents this IPL-to-India transition:
Abhishek Sharma.
A rising left-handed enforcer whose blistering T20 style could shape India’s approach at the T20 World Cup, Sharma embodies the fearless energy Gambhir wants at the top.

A Fearless Brand of Cricket

For Ashwin, the transformation is not just about personnel it’s about philosophy.
He expressed genuine satisfaction at seeing India finally commit to the brand of cricket many players once hoped for:
“A bit of fearless approach… A fearless brand of cricket which we always wanted to happen.”

This shift goes beyond bold hitting. It extends into the most critical balancing act in T20 cricket controlled chaos.
With Suryakumar Yadav as captain and Jasprit Bumrah as India’s defensive anchor, Ashwin believes the T20 side has all the ingredients to be “feared on its day.”

A Split Resume   and Ashwin’s Reminder

As India faces its biggest red-ball introspection in years, Gambhir’s coaching graph looks divided.
One column Test cricket is under scrutiny.
The other white-ball cricket is thriving with silverware, modern tactics, fearless batting, franchise-hardened talent, and elite match-winners.

Ashwin’s message is clear:
While the Test debate rages on, the white-ball revolution is already well underway and Gautam Gambhir has already left a bit of a stamp.