Gautam Gambhir takes charge

Former opener Gautam Gambhir appointed India men’s team head coach; says it is his greatest privilege to serve the country

World Cup-winning former opener Gautam Gambhir was on Tuesday named head coach of the Indian cricket team by the BCCI, which hoped that he would bring “tenacity and leadership” to the position that was held with “remarkable success” by Rahul Dravid until recently.

The 42-year-old left-hander, who played a key role in India’s 2011 ODI World Cup triumph, was the front-runner to replace Dravid whose tenure ended with the country’s triumph in the T20 World Cup in Barbados last month.

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Gambhir’s first assignment as India coach will be the tour Sri Lanka for three T20Is and as many ODIs “His appointment as head coach marks a new chapter for Indian cricket. His experience, dedication, and vision for the game make him the ideal candidate to guide our team forward,” said BCCI president Roger Binny in an elaborate statement.

“We are confident that under his leadership, Team India will continue to excel and make the nation proud,” he added.As a player, Ga mbhir led Kolkata Knight Riders to IPL titles in 2012 and 2014. He then proved his coaching credentials as the mentor of the KKR team that won the IPL title in 2024.

Gambhir said it would be an “absolute honour to serve the tricolour” in the high-profile position and he would do “everything in his power” to deliver good results for the team.

“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!,” said Gambhir in a post on X.

Gambhir also congratulated Dravid for his stellar three-year tenure. “I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Rahul Dravid and his team of support staff for their exemplary run with the team.”

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