Finally, the announcement has been made, and the Board of Control for Cricket in India has announced the new head coach for Team India. And it is none other than Gautam Gambhir. The former Indian opener has replaced Rahul Dravid as the new head coach of the Indian cricket team.
This announcement was made on Tuesday (July 9) by the Indian Cricket Board. Gautam Gambhir’s appointment was almost certain, but the delay was because of the salary negotiation. But everything is set now, and it is the beginning of a new era under the coaching of Gambhir.
Gautam Gambhir will start as head coach with a home series against Sri Lanka
Gautam Gambhir will have a big shoe to fill as Dravid led India to three ICC finals across all three formats. India won the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 under his coaching. Gambhir will be operating India during the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025 in Pakistan and the World Test Championship. Notably, the former opener doesn’t have coaching experience under his belt.
He was the mentor of Kolkata Knight Riders, which won the IPL 2024. Previously, he was with Lucknow Super Giants as a mentor for two years, and they made it to the playoffs in both seasons. The former opener was part of India’s winning teams in the 2007 T20 World Cup and the 2011 ODI World Cup. He will take the charge in the home series against Sri Lanka.
India are currently in Zimbabwe for a five-match T20 series which will end on July 14. After that, Sri Lanka will come to India for three ODIs and three T20 internationals, which will start on July 27. Gautam Gambhir and Rohit Sharma will now be in action. Adding to that, the appointment of batting, bowling, and fielding coaches will be done soon. The BCCI has allowed Gambhir to choose names of his choice.