Table of Contents
ToggleIn a big move, Virat Kohli was not consulted by the BCCI during the process of naming Gautam Gambhir as the next India head coach. However, reports have suggested that Hardik Pandya was kept in the loop by the Indian board.
Gambhir’s name was unanimously endorsed by the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) consisting of Ashok Malhotra, Jatin Paranjape, and Sulakshana Naik. Gambhir and former batter WV Raman were the only candidates to show up for the interview for the role of head coach for India.
The BCCI declared on Tuesday that Gambhir will take Rahul Dravid’s place. The team from the Sri Lanka white-ball series will be led by the former opener.
Gambhir is the youngest head coach in India at 42. Gambhir announced his retirement from all forms of competition just five years ago, even though his predecessor, Virat Kohli, also shared the dressing room with the current squad players throughout the later part of his playing career. In actuality, he played his final Test match in 2016 while captaining India.
At least when it comes to the game, his rapport with Kohli is nothing to be proud of. The most notorious of the pair’s on-field feuds in the IPL took place in IPL 2023 when Gambhir and Kohli came dangerously near to exchanging blows. Then, Gambhir served as LSG’s mentor.
Virat Kohli goes unnoticed by BCCI
Therefore, to avoid any unwanted thing, BCCI didn’t consult Virat Kohli while interviewing Gautam Gambhir for India’s head coach role.
“There is enough time for the two to have conversations over the table. But it was important for the BCCI to look at the big picture with many youngsters likely to feature in the coming years,” a BCCI official told Hindustan Times.
It’ll be intriguing to see how Gambhir gets along with Rohit Sharma, the captain of the Test and ODI teams. It is unlikely that either Rohit or Kohli would play in Gambhir’s first series as India’s head coach. The star players will return from the home Test series against Bangladesh, having asked the selectors for a lengthier rest.
Hardik Pandya informed by BCCI and is set to replace Rohit Sharma as T20I captain
On the other hand, Hardik Pandya is seemingly back in a leadership position as the Hindustan Times reported that the all-rounder was kept in the loop and was sounded out by the Indian board before Gambhir’s announcement was made public.
He will probably be named India’s permanent Twenty20 international captain. It will be his second attempt at leading the T20 team. Although he led the Indian T20I team from late 2022 to the end of 2023, he was never named the team’s official captain.
Also Read: Gautam Gambhir To Attend KKR’s IPL 2024 Victory Celebrations At Eden Gardens On July 23