The cricket board hierarchy was so bowled over by his passionate and aggressive cricketing style & strategy that the formal interview for the advertised coach’s job was reduced to a mere formality
Will he get his way with BCCI in appointing support staff of his choice to deliver!
His handling, especially of senior players, will be closely watched
Cracking more than 10,000 runs while playing nearly 250 matches for the country in all three formats, this dependable India top-order batsman was known for belting out peak performances in big matches. His IPL exploits, first for Delhi Capitals and later Kolkata Knight Riders as batter and captain between 2008-2017, and in the latest editions as mentor, have also impressed.
So, it did not come as a surprise when the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) confirmed on Tuesday the much-anticipated appointment of Gautam Gambhir (42) as head coach of the Indian senior men’s cricket team in all three formats for a period of three years, succeeding the legendary Rahul Dravid, who capped his slightly extended three-year assignment with a World Cup winning performance by Team India in the recently concluded ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in USA-West Indies.
Following the announcement by BCCI, Gambhir took to his X handle to express his feelings thus: “India is my identity and serving my country has been the greatest privilege of my life. I’m honoured to be back, albeit wearing a different hat. 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!”
Gambhir will officially begin his tenure this month itself, with his first assignment being India’s limited-overs tour to Sri Lanka, beginning at the end of the month. Team India is set to play 10 Test matches in the next six months before heading into the 2025 Champions Trophy. The head coach will serve until December 31, 2027, which marks the year of the next ODI World Cup.
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Gambhir was recently formally interviewed along with former Indian women’s cricket team head coach W.V. Raman via Zoom by the three-member Cricket Advisory Committee, led by Ashok Malhotra, but the interview was apparently a mere formality with the BCCI hierarchy apparently having already promised the top job to Gambhir and taken his consent.
It remains to be seen whether Gambhir gets his way with the BCCI regarding appointment of support staff of his choice, a condition he is learnt to have placed before the BCCI while giving his in-principle consent to accept the coaching assignment. He is understood to be keen on having former India player and Kolkata Knight Riders’ batting coach Abhishek Nayar as his assistant coach and the great Jonty Rhodes as the fielding coach.
In a press release, the BCCI informed that 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 former India batter will take charge from the upcoming away series against Sri Lanka, where Team India is set to play 3 ODIs & 3 T20Is starting July 27, 2024, it added.
About Gautam Gambhir’s cricket exploits
https://www.insidesport.in/cricket/gautam-gambhirs-career-stats-across-formats/
