On Tuesday, the Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI) finally announced Gautam Gambhir as the new head coach for Team India across all formats after a month of speculation.
Gambhir was a gutsy character during his playing career since he was known for being outspoken. He has succeeded Rahul Dravid who took on the coaching duties with T20 World Cup victory last month.
This year, Gambhir left active politics before the Lok Sabha elections after being a BJP MP from 2019 to ’24. Consequently, he mentored his former IPL team Kolkata Knight Riders to win the title and increased his chances of replacing Dravid greatly. Before that, Gambhir had also helped Lucknow Super Giants reach playoffs for two successive seasons in the IPL.
Indian cricket begins under Gambhir era
The BCCI considers him as an ideal choice given that he is recognized as focused and straight forward kind of person, which defines him.
W.V Raman, former Indian opener was also interviewed by BCCI’s cricket advisory committee (CAC). Apparently this action will be accompanied by a support staff chosen by Gambhir himself. On behalf of BCCI, it has thanked Dravid’s support staff comprising Paras Mhambrey, Vikram Rathour and T Dilip and wished them good luck in their future endeavors.
Abhishek Nayar’s name is doing some rounds along with Lakshmipathy Balaji and Vinay Kumar; these are among those names that BCCI could call for applications pretty soon. It is also understood that Rathour is being seen as one prospective successor to VVS Laxman at National Cricket Academy.
“With great delight I hereby welcome GautamGambhir as our new head coach of team India. Modern-day cricket has evolved rapidly and Gautam has witnessed this changing landscape up close. Enduring such pressures while excelling well at different roles throughout his career makes me believe Gautam is the right man to lead Indian cricket into the future.” The BCCI secretary Jay Shah wrote on X.
“His vast experience coupled with a clear vision for Team India positions him perfectly for this exciting and most sought-after coaching role. As he embarks on this new journey, BCCI stands firmly behind him,” added Shah.
In 2011 ODI World Cup final as well as 2007 T20 World Cup final Gambhir was the highest scorer for his country. “It’s an absolute honour to serve my tricolor, my people,my country.I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Rahul Dravid and his team of support staff for their exemplary run with the team. I am honored and excited to take on the role of head coach.”
“My playing days while wearing that Indian jersey have always been very special to me and so will it be in my new role. Cricket has been my passion and I look forward to working closely with BCCI, Head of Cricket Mr VVS Laxman, our support staff and most importantly, our players as we aim at success in upcoming tournaments” he concluded.
Gambhir is known for his serious look when on the field. Recently he said, “I am not here to entertain. I am here to win matches. That’s my job as a professional.”
In 2012, Gambhir exhibited his leadership qualities when he captained KKR to their first IPL crown and did it again in 2014 season. This was also the time that he assumed the full captaincy of Delhi for state team after being removed from the Indian set-up.
Gambhir’s mind was simple; he never cried over spilled milk by BCCI selectors of India. He wanted titles more than anything else both with KKR and Delhi cricket sides. Amongst the key decisions that Gambhir took included playing Delhi’s home Ranji Trophy matches on lush green tracks at Roshanara Club instead of Ferozeshah Kotla where they didn’t care about scores too much since they needed result oriented games which could help them go ahead in the competition unlikely on slow pitches at Kotla then; He does not fear swimming against the current.
While world cricket celebrates Suryakumar Yadav’s skills in T20s, it was actually Gambhir who had faith in him as a potential player during such moments when Surya appeared lost within Mumbai cricket setup for 1-2 seasons (2013-14).
“It is essential to remember that our home ground Eden Gardens’ track was very slow and testing. It became even more difficult for those coming into bat lower down in the order like me.” An eye-catching figure of consistency came from Suryakumar these days. Give people like him extra responsibility. The following seasons saw Rana being groomed as leader with vice-captaincy of KKR being announced,” stressed Vijay Dahiya who has worked alongside Gambhir at TOI LSG as well as DD.
Gambhir shocked DDCA during winter of 2013 when he gave Navdeep Saini his first-class debut at the expense of other deserving players. This triggered demonstrations since Saini had not played any organized cricket in Delhi. Gambhir took a firm line against people like Bishan Singh Bedi and Chetan Chauhan. The next season, he took on DDCA again to instigate the exit of Mithun Manhas and Rajat Bhatia from the team so that younger boys like Nitish Rana could be tried.
When Gambhir first talked to the owners at LSG, he made it clear that building a team for just two years was not what he wanted to do. “He said that we should select players who will remain with us for many years,” sources close to Gambhir told TOI.
KKR’s decision to release him as captain devastated Gambhir according to those within his circle. He strongly felt that then was his time as a leader and would have left behind a side which could have served KKR for another five years.
To him, Ayush Badoni is as important as KL Rahul. Every unknown player shall be seen through the same lens by him. He also believed his scouts and signed on fast bowlers like Mayank Yadav and Mohsin Khan.
