Former Indian opener Gautam Gambhir has been given a new responsibility as the head coach of the Indian cricket team, replacing Rahul Dravid. The announcement was made by BCCI Secretary Jay Shah. Gambhir recently guided Kolkata Knight Riders to the IPL trophy as mentor in 2024.
Rahul Dravid’s tenure as the head coach ended after the T20 World Cup 2024. Dravid had taken on the role of head coach after the T20 World Cup 2021. His term was originally set to end after the 2023 ODI World Cup but was extended by the BCCI.
There had been speculations about Gambhir taking over as head coach even before Dravid’s tenure ended, and now Jay Shah has confirmed the news. Currently, the Indian team, under the captaincy of Shubman Gill, is on a tour of Zimbabwe, after which they will tour Sri Lanka, where Gambhir will assume his new role.
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. Having endured the grind and excelled in various roles throughout his… pic.twitter.com/bvXyP47kqJ
— Jay Shah (@JayShah) July 9, 2024
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Gambhir was appointed as the mentor of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) before IPL 2024, and under his mentorship, the KKR team became champions. Gambhir was the only candidate who applied for the head coach position. He met with the Union Home Minister Amit Shah before his interview for the coaching role.
Gautam Gambhir, 42, retired from international cricket on December 4, 2018. He played his last Test for India against England in Rajkot in 2016. In his career, Gambhir scored 4154 runs in 58 Test matches at an average of 41.95, including nine centuries.
In 147 ODIs, he scored 5238 runs at an average of 39.68, including a memorable 97-run innings in the 2011 World Cup final, which helped India secure their second World Cup title. Gambhir scored 11 centuries in ODIs. He also made his mark in T20 Internationals, scoring 932 runs in 37 matches at an average of 27.41, with seven half-centuries.