Gautam Gambhir has been one of the front-runners for the India head coach role after leading KKR to the IPL title. (PTI)
BCCI Secretary Jay Shah on Tuesday announced Gautam Gambhir as the new head coach of the Indian men’s cricket team.
Taking to his Twitter account, Shah posted, “It is with immense pleasure that I welcome Mr. Gautam Gambhir 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. 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 Team India, coupled with his vast experience, positions him perfectly to take on this exciting and most sought-after coaching role. The BCCI fully supports him as he embarks on this new journey,” Shah added.
Gambhir also took to X to react to his appointment for the first time. “India is my identity and serving my country has been the greatest privilege of my life. I’m honoured to be back, albeit wearing a different hat. But my goal is the same as it has always been, to make every Indian proud. The men in blue shoulder the dreams of 1.4 billion Indians and I will do everything in my power to make these dreams come true!”
Former T20 and ODI World Cup winner with India takes over as head coach from Rahul Dravid, who stepped down from the role after India’s T20 World Cup win.
Having taken over as team mentor of the Kolkata Knight Riders ahead of IPL 2024, Gambhir was hailed for guiding the franchise to the title, having already captained KKR to two league titles during his playing days.
Gambhir takes over as head coach from Rahul Dravid, who stepped down from the role after India’s T20 World Cup win. (Rohit Sharma on Instagram)
Meanwhile, the Indian board will soon invite applications for the team’s support staff as the tenures of batting coach Vikram Rathour, bowling coach Paras Mhambrey and fielding coach T Dilip ended after the T20 World Cup in the USA and the West Indies. BCCI secretary Jay Shah had already stated that the new coach – Gambhir – will join the Indian team from the Sri Lanka series.
The Indian Express has learnt that the board will give Gambhir a free hand to choose his support staff. It’s not clear whether the Indian team will have a batting coach going ahead, as Gambhir himself has been a successful opening batsman across formats. He was Kolkata Knight Riders mentor in their 2024 title-winning IPL season.
In his first assignment with the team – three T20Is and ODIs in Sri Lanka – Gambhir will miss the services of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, who have been rested after a triumphant T20 World Cup campaign.
As reported by the Indian Express, Indian cricket board wants the captain of the T20 World Cup winning team and the other two seniors to take some more rest before returning for a full season in September when Bangladesh travels to India for two Tests and three T20Is starting on September 19.
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