Former Australia opener Justin Langer has been appointed the new head coach of Indian Premier League franchise Lucknow Super Giants on Friday. Langer took over the charge from Andy Flower who guided LSG to playoffs in their first two seasons in IPL. Langer will join hands with Gautam Gambhir who is the mentor of the franchise. The two veteran openers have an old connection with each other as Gambhir once trained under Langer in an attempt to revive his international career in 2015.
Gambhir was ousted from the Indian team after his brief stint in 2014 on the England tour where he scored low scores in the two Test matches he played. The southpaw travelled to Perth to train under Langer in an attempt to revive his career.
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In an old interview, Gambhir opened up about when he decided to reach Langer for guidance.
“I met JL [Langer] during the last Champions League last year when he was touring with Perth Scorchers as their coach,” Gambhir said, explaining the decision to train under him.
“We spoke about a few things, about my batting, and I realised that he could be my go-to man to work on my game,” Gambhir told ESPNCricinfo.
Gambhir said that he could relate to Langer who is also an intense character like him.
“I’d read Langer’s interviews and his books,” Gambhir said. “I could relate to him a lot. He too is an intense character like me and these things pushed me to come here.”
It is expected that the duo’s intensity will remain the same while coaching Lucknow Super Giants.
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Gambhir has been an integral part of LSG set-up since they joined the cash-rich league tournament, while the inclusion of Langer to the set-up is going to help the franchise who will eye their maiden title next year.
“Lucknow Super Giants are on the journey of building a great story in the IPL. We all have a role to play in that journey and I am excited to be a part of the team moving forward,” Langer said in a statement released by the franchise.
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