Former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir who was well known for his upfront and combative attitude on the field is the new head coach of the Indian men’s cricket team.
Rahul Dravid’s tenure as India’s coach ended after T20 World Cup 2024 and this has led to an announcement been made by Jay Shah, Secretary Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Tuesday.
Former South African fast bowler, Dale Steyn also expressed his joy at the appointment of Gambhir. He admired Gambhir’s aggression and fierceness that he said are no longer common in today’s cricket due to franchise T20 leagues where players become buddies across teams.
I like Gautam Gambhir very much because he is aggressive. I love it when you get a bit like him [on a try-again mode]. They think that’s what he will bring into the dressing room with guys like Virat and some of these other older guys who might not be playing as big roles again. I don’t know really. We need to have players who play a little bit harder than before, who are a little more aggressive not only in India but around cricketing world as well,” Star Sports quoted Steyn as saying.
Dale Steyn also praised Gautam Gambhir for being “street smart and intelligent” while playing cricket.
“We all seem to play in the leagues against each other, and we become quite friendly and friends. I like the way that he is fierce on the field but a gentleman off the field. He is also streetwise, a very smart cricketer, and has a great cricket brain. So I think from that point of view, he is going to be fantastic for them too,” added the former speedster
Gambhir’s career as an Indian player was illustrious: his innings in both finals help propel his country towards triumph at ICC T20 World Cup 2007 and ICC Cricket World Cup 2011.
Gambhir’s appointment caps a victorious T20 World Cup 2024 campaign for India in which they beat South Africa by seven runs to clinch their second T20 World Cup in a drought of 17 years.
