Gautam Gambhir Appointed as India’s New Head Coach: BCCI Update 2024
Gautam Gambhir has been appointed as the brand new head Coach of team India. Rahul Dravid, the former team India Head Coach’s tenure has come to an end after the T20I World Cup 2024.
Jay Shah, the secretary of the BCCI, made the statement on social media. For three and a half years, the new coach will oversee all formats.
Later this month, Gambhir’s first task as captain will be a white-ball tour of Sri Lanka that includes three ODIs and three T20Is.
“India is my identity and serving my country has been the greatest privilege of my life,” he stated on X. It’s an honor to return, even though I’m sporting a new headgear. But I still want to make every Indian proud, just like I always have. The dreams of 1.4 billion Indians are carried by the soldiers in blue, and I will stop at nothing to see that these dreams are realized.”
The BCCI announced in a formal press release that Gambhir had been appointed that the assistant coaches who had worked under Dravid, Vikram Rathour (batting), Paras Mhambrey (bowling), and T Dilip (fielding), had reached the end of their tenure. “The BCCI values their contribution and wishes them the best going forward,” concluded the press release.
The 42-year-old Gambhir assumes command of a team that is experiencing unprecedented success. Prior to winning the T20 World Championship last year, they advanced to the finals of both the World Test Championship and the ODI World Cup. They are expected to make it to their third consecutive WTC final the following year.
But the team is currently moving away from one of its most successful periods. Following the retirements of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Ravindra Jadeja from the T20I format, he assumes leadership of the team. Some other celebrities in their mid-to-late-30s, like as Mohammed Shami and R Ashwin, might also be nearing the end of their careers in other media.
The BCCI had already announced that the squad would be led by the new head coach in all three formats, starting in July and serving for a period of three and a half years till December 2027.
The board had talks with Gambhir during the 2024 Indian Premier League, when he coached the Kolkata Knight Riders to victory, despite the BCCI having posted job openings and a May 27 deadline for applications.
Prior to joining KKR in November 2023, Gambhir served as a coach for the Lucknow Super Giants in the 2022 and 2023 Indian Premier Leagues, assisting them in making it to the playoffs in both years. Since the conclusion of his playing career, he has only had these two coaching positions. Gambhir led India to victory in both the 2011 ODI World Cup and the 2007 T20 World Cup, scoring the most runs in the championship matches for his country. Additionally, he led KKR to two IPL championships in 2012 and 2014.
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After the season ended, he announced his intention to coach India at a ceremony in Abu Dhabi on June 1. He had asked for more time to consider his options during the 2024 Indian Premier League.
A small boy asked Gambhir if he would help India win the World Cup. “Look, I would love to coach the Indian team,” Gambhir replied. “No higher honor exists. Being a national team coach is the greatest honor there is. You speak for 140 crore Indians. and more everywhere in the world as well. And how can it get any greater than that when you represent India?
“I believe that 140 crore Indians, not me, would be the ones to assist India win the World Cup. How can I help India win the World Cup? India will win the World Cup if everyone starts praying for us and we begin to play and represent them. Being bold is crucial, and yes, I would really want to coach India.”
Particularly when his former India teammate VVS Laxman informed BCCI he was not interested in the position, Gambhir emerged as the clear favorite to succeed Dravid. Laxman is now India’s acting coach for their current five-match T20I series in Zimbabwe. He also holds the position of director of cricket at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru.
Following the T20 World Cup in November 2021, Dravid succeeded Ravi Shastri as captain for the next two years, until the 2023 ODI World Cup. Following that, he granted the BCCI’s request to continue serving until the end of the 2024 T20 World Cup, and he assisted India in winning their first ICC championship since 2013.
