"An emotional coach is not a good thing" - Proteas legend's huge claim amid scrutiny on Gautam Gambhir after IND vs SA 2025 Test series

Former South African star AB de Villiers has shared his take as Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir finds himself under scrutiny after a second series sweep at home in within a year. De Villiers said he has seen Gambhir as an emotional player but reckoned it usually doesn't bode well for a team if a coach exhibits the same demeanour.After a 3-0 whitewash at home against New Zealand last year, the Asian giants crashed to a 2-0 defeat to the Proteas recently. Series sweeps in consecutive years have put massive pressure on Gambhir, with fans urging him to step down from the role.Speaking to Ravichandran Ashwin in the recent video on his YouTube channel 'Ashwin,' the 41-year-old remarked:"Speaking on behalf of the Indian side, it’s really difficult. I don’t know what GG is like when it comes to leadership. I’ve known him as an emotional player and if that is the case in the change room, generally an emotional coach is not a good thing to have. But it’s not to say he’s that kind of a coach and the kind of leader behind the scenes. There’s no right and wrong. Some players will feel comfortable with a former player. Some players will be comfortable with a coach that’s never played the game before but he’s got a lot of years of experience of coaching the game."At the presser after the series defeat, Gambhir took responsibility for the defeat but also defended his position, claiming that he oversaw Team India's Asia Cup and Champions Trophy victories this year. Nevertheless, he left it to the BCCI to decide his future."I’ve never been in the Indian dressing room with Gautam Gambhir, Morne Morkel and Ryan ten Doeschate" - AB de VilliersAB de Villiers. (Image Credits: Getty)In the same video, the 41-year-old opined that some players might not feel comfortable with a former player turning coach but it may serve as an inspiration for others. De Villiers also heaped praise on South Africa's coach Shukri Conrad for bringing a calm and a shrewd mindset into the team. He said:"It’s a tough question because I’ve never played under Shukri and I’ve never been in the Indian dressing room with GG, Morne Morkel and Ryan ten Doeschate. It looks great on paper but I don’t know what the dynamic is like behind the scenes. What I can say is it is different for every player. I absolutely love playing under Gary Kirsten, he’s a former player and similar to Gautam Gambhir. Some players might find confidence and feel comfortable with a former player being there, a great of the game and find some extra inspiration to put extra yards for the team and for the coach.""Then there’s Shukri Conrad, who has got this long track record of domestic teams that he has coached. He has plenty of experience and he’s a very calm character. He generally makes his decisions on statistics and also combines with gut feel. He doesn’t thumb suck some of the team selections and really works with the players to help them come through. But you can also only do that with a strong group of senior players, with Kagsio Rabada there, Temba Bavuma, Aiden Markram, to name a few," he added.According to NDTV's sources, the BCCI is unlikely to sack Gambhir at this stage since his contract is valid until 2027.