"Even if it's difficult for you, crack a smile. Whatever else happens, that will shock people."
Outgoing India head coach Rahul Dravid did what many consider the unthinkable - he made Gautam Gambhir smile with the above message. Dravid sent out a touching message to the new head coach, who takes over with the T20I series against Sri Lanka starting on Saturday. In a video posted by the BCCI on social media, Gambhir was made to sit in front of a laptop to play the message which he didn't know came from Dravid.
"As your team-mate, I saw you giving it your all on the field," Dravid said to Gambhir. "As your batting partner and fellow fielder, I saw your resilience and refusal to surrender. Across many IPL seasons, I noted your desire to win, your assistance to younger players and your drive to extract the best out of your team on the field.
"I know how dedicated and passionate you are about Indian cricket and I am sure you will bring all these qualities into the new job.
"As you know, the expectations will be high and the scrutiny will be intense. But even in the worst of times you will never be alone. You will have the support of the players, your support staff, the leaders of the past, the management and never forget for whom you play - for fans who are very demanding but will always be behind the team."
Soon after winning the T20 World Cup final last month in Barbados, Dravid had mentioned the role of "luck" that had helped his team lift the trophy and he hoped the same would help Gambhir too.
"I also wish you a little bit of luck, as you know that all of us coaches need to make us look that little bit wiser and smarter than we actually are," he said.
Dravid's dry humour also gave an appearance to elicit a smile from Gambhir. "Even if it's difficult for you, crack a smile. Whatever else happens, that will shock people," he said.
"From one Indian cricket coach to another, one last thing. In the most heated of times, exhale, take a step back. I wish you the very best, Gautam. I am sure you will take the Indian team to even greater heights."
Reacting to Dravid's message which made him "emotional," Gambhir said there was a lot to learn from his predecessor not just for him but for the entire generation.
"I don't know how to react because this message means so much to me," Gambhir said. "The reason is not because it comes from the person who I have succeeded but from a person who I have always looked up to when I was playing.
"I have always felt that and I said it in a lot of my interviews - I think the most selfless cricketer I have actually ever played with. Rahul bhai has done anything and everything Indian cricket needed.
"I think there is so much to learn from, not only for me but for the next generation and the current generation as well. That's how important Indian cricket is, not me, not individuals.
"I don't get too emotional but I think this message actually made me a lot emotional which normally I shouldn't. But it's a great message.
"It's massive shoes that I can hopefully fill. Hopefully, I can do that with absolute honesty, transparency and hopefully, I can make the entire nation and more importantly, the person I have always looked up to - Rahul bhai - proud," he said.
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