In a relaxed and heartwarming off-field gesture, head coach Gautam Gambhir hosted the entire Indian squad and support staff for dinner at his Delhi residence on Sunday evening, just days before the February 12 clash at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. The gathering offered the team a welcome breather as they shifted focus to their next challenge in the tournament.
A video from the evening has since gone viral on social media, showing Indian players being warmly received by Gambhir and his family. Captain Suryakumar Yadav, along with senior players Hardik Pandya and Abhishek Sharma, were among those in attendance.
This was not the first such occasion during Gambhir’s tenure as head coach. The former India opener had earlier hosted the squad at his home during last year’s home Test series against the West Indies, continuing a tradition of fostering camaraderie away from the field.
Meanwhile, Suryakumar Yadav shed light on Gambhir’s tactical inputs following India’s win over the USA. The Indian skipper revealed a brief conversation with his coach during his innings at the Wankhede Stadium, where Gambhir emphasised the importance of batting deep.
“I always felt there was a need for a batter to stay till the end. I didn’t think it was a 180–190 wicket; it felt more like a 140 wicket. Gauti bhai echoed the same during the break after 14 overs. He told me, ‘Just try and bat till the end; you can cover it any time,’” Suryakumar said at the post-match presentation.
The Mumbai batter was later named Player of the Match for his composed and match-winning knock, which guided India out of a tricky situation and set the tone for their World Cup campaign.
