With his appointment as the new head coach of India’s senior men’s side, Gautam Gambhir has vowed to make the country proud and make the dreams of the billions true with huge achievements. His first coaching charge will be from Sri Lanka, where the team gets involved in a three-match ODI and T20I series, starting on July 27.
Gambhir’s head-coach role declaration comes after the end of Rahul Dravid, who was at the seat from the end of the 2021 T20 World Cup to the 2024 20-over ICC event and finished it with a cherry on the top, earning the title and ending the 11-year-old drought of an ICC trophy for the country.
The upcoming duration of coaching for Gautam Gambhir won’t be smooth, with so many ICC trophies, and a few big Test series awaiting, but the way he has led his troops in the past, the fearless approach of the team could be expected from him.
‘I am honored to be back, albeit wearing a different hat’- Gautam Gambhir
It’s quite crazy how he always finds himself among the players to rescue the team in tough situations. When it comes to the shortest format of the game, the mind goes back to the final of the 2007 T20 World Cup, where his fine innings against Pakistan took India a comfortable position with the bat in hand.
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In the case of the 50-over format, among his many memorable knocks, the one that every Indian remembers is the 97-run knock at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai against Sri Lanka during the final of the 2011 ODI World Cup. India had lost a few early wickets, and then he had two match-winning stands- one with a young Virat Kohli and the other with the captain of the side- Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
When it arrives to the longest format of the game, true India fans will always remember his knock during the Napier Test, where they were hoping for a drawn result, and Gautam Gambhir batted for two days to achieve the feat. Looking at the conditions and quality of bowlers, it was known how incredible character he has for the game.
The BCCI treasurer Ashish Shelar has praised his leadership and mentorship qualities on and off the field to shine brightly in the new head-coach position.
‘Congratulations to Gautam Gambhir on his appointment as the Head Coach. He has proven credentials as a champion player and he brings a winning mentality to the dressing room.’ The BCCI treasurer expressed on the BCCI media. ‘His leadership and mentorship qualities on and off the field has been inspiring. I am confident that he will shine bright in this new role which will bring out the best in our team.’
The veteran has shown how easily he could partner with the captain of the side and make a bond to achieve the feat, as he did during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 for the Kolkata Knight Riders.
He set his goal to make India proud, besides vowing to make the billions of Indian’s dreams come true.
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‘India is my identity and serving my country has been the greatest privilege of my life. I’m honored to be back, albeit wearing a different hat.’ Gautam Gambhir reflected on his ‘X’ handle, formerly known as Twitter. ‘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!’
He will have a tough schedule awaiting in his coaching career, consisting of the five away Tests against Australia and England, besides the two Tests in New Zealand and the ICC tournaments across the three formats.