The unheard story of Gautam Gmabhir losing his cool on Delhi streets
Gautam Gambhir has has been always been tempramental. His former teammate Aakash Chopra shared an interesting anecdote in which the former had a spat with a truck driver.
The Indian cricket team ushered into a new era with Gautam Gambhir taking over as the men’s cricket team head coach. His tenure began on a mixed note as the men in blue swept the T20I series 3-0 against Sri Lanka before succumbing to a 0-2 defeat in the ODIs.
Gambhir’s passion for the game isn’t new to cricket fans and his approach has been contrasting with his predecessor – Rahul Dravid, who passed the baton to Gambhir after the T20 World Cup victory in the Caribbean. The former opener also shares a unique bond with several current players having been their former teammate.
One of his former teammates, Aakash Chopra recalled the early days when they competed against each other to find a spot in the Delhi team. The rivalry pushed them to elevate their games. Speaking to YouTuber Raj Shamani on a podcast, Chopra opened up about how Gambhir showcased hunger and aggression during his playing days that define him today.
“We were competitors, fighting for one place. We had a very good team. When we were playing, either Kohli or Dhawan could get a chance in the line-up. The team was like that. In fact, there was no place for even Viru [Virender Sehwag] to open the batting,” recalled Chopra in a podcast with Raj Shamani on YouTube.
“We were competitors to begin with. He [Gambhir] wasn’t a friend, to be honest. (But he was a) very passionate guy, very hard-working, and very serious about his craft. And he scored a lot of runs. But he always wore his heart on the sleeve, was extremely passionate, and could short-fuse very quickly in terms of temperament,” said Chopra further.
Gambhir fought with a truck driver
Gambhir has been fierce for ages and Chopra shared an interesting anecdote in which Gambhir had a spat with a truck driver.
“He has always been like that temperamentally. You never know when he loses his cool. He used to tell us that he fought with a truck driver. He got off his vehicle, climbed up the truck and held the driver’s collar because he overtook,” Chopra said.
“I told him, ‘What are you doing, Gauti? He’s a truck driver… Tu ittu saa hai (You are such a short guy),” he added.
Born with a golden spoon
Chopra further revealed that Gambhir was from a wealthy family and he never needed to rely on cricket for financial stability. Yet his commitment to the game was massive.
“He’s a good-hearted guy who comes from a very affluent family. For that kid to have that kind of passion… he would be on the ground the whole day. He was born with a golden spoon, not even silver. It’s a different journey, basically like Abhinav Bindra. Gautam has the heart at the right place,” said Chopra.
