Gautam Gambhir has officially replaced Rahul Dravid as India's head coach on Tuesday. Dravid bid farewell to Rohit Sharma and Co. after winning the T20 World Cup 2024 in his final assignment as the Indian side's head coach. In the build-up to the T20 World Cup, the former Indian head coach had already clarified that he won't sign an extension after the recently concluded ICC event.
Former India openers Gambhir and WV Raman were interviewed by BCCI's Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) for the national team's head coach's position last month. Emerging as a frontrunner for the high-profile job, World Cup winner Gambhir recently completed his farewell video for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). The KKR mentor masterminded Kolkata's third title triumph in the 2024 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
'Gambhir ideal person to steer Indian cricket forward'
Confirming Gambhir’s arrival at the Indian camp as head coach, BCCI secretary Jay Shah penned a special note for the two-time World Cup winner on X, formerly known as Twitter. The BCC secretary asserted that he is confident that Gambhir is the ideal person to steer Indian Cricket forward. “It is with immense pleasure that I welcome Mr @GautamGambhir as the new Head Coach of the Indian Cricket Team. Modern-day cricket has evolved rapidly, and Gautam has witnessed this changing landscape up close,” Shah said.
“Having endured the grind and excelled in various roles throughout his career, I am confident that Gautam is the ideal person to steer Indian Cricket forward. His clear vision for #TeamIndia, coupled with his vast experience, positions him perfectly to take on this exciting and most sought-after coaching role. The @BCC fully supports him as he embarks on this new journey,” the BCCI secretary added.
Sri Lanka's tour of India: Gambhir's first assignment as head coach
Earlier, BCCI secretary Shah confirmed that India will have a new head coach from the white-ball series against Sri Lanka this month. "Both coach and selector appointments will be made shortly. CAC has interviewed and shortlisted two names and after reaching Mumbai whatever they have decided we will go by that. VVS Laxman is going to Zimbabwe but new coach will join from Sri Lanka series," Shah mentioned.
Who will be Team India's assistant coach in Gambhir era?
As per the latest developments, Gambhir has handpicked a former Mumbai Indians (MI) star as his assistant coach at Team India. According to the Bengali newspaper Aajkaal, Gambhir wants KKR’s Abhishek Nayar to become India's assistant coach if the World Cup winner succeeds Dravid for the top job. Gambhir was assisted by Nayar at KKR during his comeback season in IPL 2024. The report suggested that Gambhir and Nayar have a verbal agreement in place for their next stint. Nayar is also the director of Knight Riders at the KKR Academy.
Did you know?
This will be Gambhir's first stint as head coach in the international arena. Interestingly, Gambhir had yet to gain coaching experience across competitions before he landed the high-profile job at Team India. The two-time World Cup winner was KKR's mentor in the 2024 edition of the IPL. Gambhir parted ways with Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) as their mentor to join KKR last season. The 42-year-old has played 58 Tests, 147 One Day Internationals (ODIs) and 37 T20Is for India. In his iconic playing career, the two-time IPL-winning captain represented Delhi Capitals and Kolkata Knight Riders.
Source: Hindustan Times