India’s newly-appointed head coach Gautam Gambhir is known as a no-nonsense character, and the one who seldom smiles. But a touching message from his predecessor Rahul Dravid elicited a smile from the two-time World Cup winner, who takes over with the T20I series against Sri Lanka starting on Saturday.

“Even if it’s difficult for you, crack a smile. Whatever else happens, that will shock people.”

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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. 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,” Dravid said to Gambhir.

“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,” Dravid continued.

Dravid, who finished his assignment with the T20 World Cup triumph in Barbados last month, 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.

The legendary batter and former coach’s dry humour managed to do the unthinkable — make Gambhir smile.

“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,” said Dravid.

Reacting to Dravid’s message, Gambhir said it made him “emotional”, while acknowledging that he has always looked up to the Karnataka batter and has massive shoes to fill as a coach.

“I don’t know how to react because this message means so much to me. 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,” Gambhir said.

“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.

Gambhir further stated that there is so much to learn from Dravid, not only for him but for the entire generation of current and upcoming players.

“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,” the new coach said.

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