Gautam Gambhir Succeeds Rahul Dravid As Head Coach
MUMBAI, (IANS) – The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has appointed former opener and 2011 ODI World Cup-winner Gautam Gambhir as the new head coach of the senior men’s team. BCCI on Tuesday issued a statement informing that the former India batter will take charge from the upcoming away series against Sri Lanka where Team India is set to play three ODIs and three T20Is starting July 27.
“The Cricket Advisory Committee comprising Ashok Malhotra, Jatin Paranjpe, and Sulakshana Naik on Tuesday unanimously recommended Gautam Gambhir as the Head Coach of Team India (Senior Men),” the BCCI informed in a release on July 9.
Gambhir, who was part of the 2011 ODI World Cup-winning team, was till recently the mentor of the Shah Rukh Khan owned Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the Indian Premier League and had appeared for the interviews for the head coach’s post along with another former India opener WV Raman.
The former left-handed opener helped KKR lift the trophy in 2024 for the third time and impressed everyone with his leadership skills. Earlier, he captained KKR to two IPL titles in 2012 and 2014. A former Member of Parliament from Delhi, Gambhir was the Team Mentor of the Lucknow Super Giants before taking over the same responsibility at KKR.
The BCCI invited applications for the said position on May 13 to appoint Rahul Dravid’s successor, whose term ended after the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024. Gambhir and another former India opener W.V. Raman appeared for the interview while BCCI denied it had any talks with any former Australian players for the post.
“The Board would like to take this opportunity to express its heartfelt gratitude to Dravid for his outstanding service as head coach. Dravid’s tenure was marked by significant achievements; the most noteworthy being crowned champions of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, in 2024. Team India also finished as runners-up in the ICC 50-over World Cup, 2023 hosted in India & the ICC World Test Championship in 2023 hosted in England,” the BCCI said in its statement.
“Apart from the team’s dominance in bilateral series at home, Dravid’s dedication to nurturing young talent and instilling discipline and sportsmanship in the team has been exemplary,” the cricket board said.
The Board also congratulated Rahul Dravid’s support staff: Paras Mhambrey (bowling coach), T. Dilip (fielding coach), and Vikram Rathour (batting coach).
