Legendary South African cricketer Jonty Rhodes recently shared his insights on working alongside Gautam Gambhir during their time together at the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). While Gambhir served as the mentor of LSG in its first two years, Rhodes took on the role of fielding coach. After IPL 2023, Gambhir moved on to join the Kolkata Knight Riders, while Rhodes continues to contribute to LSG’s coaching staff.

Speaking about his experience with Gambhir, Rhodes revealed that the former Indian opener was heavily involved in the strategic decision-making of the team, especially during critical moments. This was evident when KL Rahul, the team's captain, suffered a thigh strain in the middle of IPL 2023. “It is fascinating because, you know, I only had the one season with GG at LSG where he was the mentor and KL had a very bad thigh strain halfway through the tournament. So, GG certainly was a lot more from a mentor point of view. Got a lot more involved with decision-making, what was going on," Rhodes noted during the Pro Cricket League trophy and jersey unveiling event.

“He looks for excellence on and off the field, but he doesn't expect players to do something that he never did or he won't do," Rhodes stated.

Gambhir's passion for the game and his determination to win were evident to Rhodes. He said, “Every team that he's involved in, he's wanted to win desperately, and you see the way that he bats, the way that he captains. He's so passionate, so involved in the game."

While Gambhir is often perceived as serious and intense on the field, Rhodes shared a different side of the former cricketer's personality.“He actually does [smile], amazingly enough. But not in the dugouts. Not at all. But that is important, because you can't have a coach who smiles when you take a wicket and then frowns when you drop a catch,” Rhodes remarked, highlighting Gambhir's consistent approach.