With Gautam Gambhir already showing his interest in becoming the head coach of the Indian team in the future, he has got backing from many former players and coaches of the country. The present India head coach Rahul Dravid will end his tenure at the end of the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024.
Dravid has also confirmed that he won’t be re-applying for the high-profile job, besides aiming to finish on a high after gifting India their second title of the tournament. From the former India captain Sourav Ganguly to the ex-India opener WV Raman, many players have supported to the potential news of Gautam Gambhir becoming the next India coach.
This speculation came after the Delhi-born helped Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) with his mentorship to lift their third trophy of the competition, and end an wait of 10-years since winning it back in 2012 and 2014, and co-incidentally under the leadership of Gambhir himself.
‘Gautam Gambhir will be the right candidate to take Indian cricket forward’ – Lalchand Rajput
The style of his aggressive coaching, along with his understanding of the young players in the last IPL season has impressed so many people. The way Gambhir sets the goal, and keeps believe on his players for a long time, shows his incredible ability of the position.
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The former left-hand opener also helped India in two of their big title winning moments with the bat, during the final of the 2011 ODI World Cup in Mumbai against Sri Lanka and in the 2007 T20 World Cup final against Pakistan in Johannesburg.
Former India coach Lalchand Rajput, who helped MS Dhoni’s men to win the inaugural edition of the 20-over World Cup, has approved Gambhir’s selection for the high-profile post.
‘Gautam Gambhir is a no-nonsense guy, he has played cricket the hard way and he reads the game well and that has been seen for KKR as well,” Lal Chand Rajput, the former India head-coach expressed during a chat with news agency PTI.
In case the KKR coach applies for the position, he needs to leave his current job of being the Knight Riders mentor, as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is yet to confirm anything.
Rajput believes that Gambhir is such a shrewd tactician as he made a huge difference for KKR in this new season, and he will bring his experience of winning two World Cups with him.
‘KKR was the same team last year and you see the difference that he made this year. He (Gautam Gambhir) is a shrewd tactician as well. I am sure with all his experience, he has won two World Cup (wins) as a player, (and) that will really add value. He is a good candidate, but it all depends upon BCCI who they want. He will be the right candidate to take Indian cricket forward,” Mumbai-born remarked during the same interview.
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Earlier the current India pacer, Mohammad Shami too admitted that Gambhir’s disciple will guide the young players so well as his skill, temperament will help them handling the pressure in crunch moments, inside the boundary rope.
‘If we talk about experience, he (Gautam Gambhir) has a strong game plan. His inning in the T20 World Cup final and ODI World Cup final were brilliant. His coaching style is direct and enforces discipline that will help young player. He also teaches skill, temperament, and how to handle pressure to the youngsters.’
It will be really exciting what final decision the BCCI take now,” Praised Shami in a video on his YouTube Channel.