"You kept saying ‘Om Namah Shivay’ before every delivery" - Gautam Gambhir on Virat Kohli's imperious run in 2014-15 tour to Australia
Team India's head coach Gautam Gambhir recently interacted with ace batter Virat Kohli. The video of the conversation was shared by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on its official website.
During the chat, Gambhir spoke about Kohli's incredible batting exploits during India's tour of Australia in 2014-15. The right-hander proved his class in the challenging conditions, amassing 692 runs across eight innings at an average of 86.50.
Gambhir pointed out how Kohli chanted 'Om Namah Shivay' before every delivery on the tour, which helped him get into his zone. The cricketer-turned-coach said (from 12:29):
"When you had that bumper series in Australia where you scored heaps and heaps of runs, you were telling me that you kept saying 'Om Namah Shivay' before every delivery, and that got you in that zone."
It is worth mentioning that the 2014-15 Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test series in Australia marked the beginning of a new chapter in Virat Kohli's life. He was appointed as India's new Test captain after MS Dhoni announced his retirement from red-ball cricket following the third Test of the series.
"The only thing I did throughout those two and a half days" - Gautam Gambhir on listening to 'Hanuman Chalisa' during his marathon knock in Napier
Gautam Gambhir's marathon hundred against New Zealand in Napier in 2009 is etched in the memories of cricket fans. The southpaw scored 137 runs in India's second innings, toiling hard for 437 balls.
He batted for two and a half days, helping his team draw the fixture after being asked to follow on.
Speaking about how listening to 'Hanuman Chalisa' helped him significantly during the Test, Gambhir stated (from 12:42):
"For me, it was exactly the same when I played in Napier. If I look back, can I bat for another two and a half days? I don't think I could have ever done that again. The only thing I did throughout those two and a half days was listen to Hanuman Chalisa."
Gambhir mentioned that he was in a divine zone during the knock. He recalled how his batting partner VVS Laxman pointed out that the batter hadn't spoken a single word while batting.
The 42-year-old added:
"When I talk about being in that zone, the reason I say that is very few times in your career you can actually be in that zone. It's divine to be in that zone because only you can experience it. I remember (VVS) Laxman telling me when I was batting on Day 5 at Napier and when we were walking back after the first session, 'Do you even realize that you did not utter a word for two hours, even between the overs.'. I realized that I did not even say a word. All I did between overs was just nod. Then when I got back, all I did was put on Hanuman Chalisa and got back in my zone."
Gautam Gambhir's first Test assignment as India's head coach will be the two-match home Test series against Bangladesh. The series opener will be played in Chennai from Thursday, September 19, onwards.