“Obviously Rahul bhai, Vikram Rathour and Paras Mhambrey were a different team; and it is only acceptable that the new support staff will bring different perspective,” Rohit said in the pre-match press conference.
Abhishek Nayar (assistant coach), Morne Morkel (bowling coach) from South Africa, and Ryan ten Doeschate (assistant coach), a former Dutch all-rounder, have taken over the roles previously held by Rathour and Mhambrey.
Gambhir took over as head coach after Dravid’s stint in the role ended following the T20 World Cup in June this year.
“The matches that we engaged in (with the new staff) in Sri Lanka, they seemed to be sensible and understanding. They began to learn things pretty quickly within the team,” he added.
Nayar’s inclusion in the team was expected, while Morkel and Doeschate, who had previously worked with Gambhir at the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL, were selected over former pacers R Vinaya Kumar and Laxmipathy Balaji for positions on the India support staff.
Rohit emphasized his ease of working with Gambhir during the latter’s playing days and with Nayar in the Mumbai dressing room, drawing on his long-standing relationship with both the individuals.
“It’s a new (support) staff for sure, but I have known Gautam Gambhir and Abhishek Nayar long enough. Every support staff has its operating style, and that’s what we were expecting.
“I have worked with different coaches over 17 years of my career, and it’s vital to understand that all of them have a unique perspective (about cricket), and it’s a must that you adjust with them,” said Rohit.
Rohit, at 37 years old, has not had the opportunity to collaborate directly with Morkel and Doeschate in a professional capacity. However, he believes that his familiarity with their cricketing careers will enable him to establish a positive and productive working relationship with them.
“I have also played matches against Morne Morkel and Ryan ten Doeschate. I have had some close encounters with Morkel, but not so much with Ryan, may be a couple of matches. But that doesn’t matter,” said the skipper.
“As of now, there have been no issues or problems as such (with the new set of support staff). We have a great understanding of each other,” he added.
The Chennai Test beginning September 19 will be India’s first red-ball game under Gambhir.
