Photo Credit: Instagram Photo of @gautamgambhir55
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) appointed Gautam Gambhir as the head coach of the senior men’s cricket team on Tuesday. This appointment follows the end of Rahul Dravid’s tenure, which concluded with the T20 World Cup 2024. Since Gambhir’s appointment, there have been numerous reports about the yet-to-be-named coaching support staff. In a recent development, it is reported that Gambhir requested Jonty Rhodes as the fielding coach for Team India, but the BCCI turned down the request. According to the Hindustan Times, the BCCI prefers to maintain an all-Indian support staff.
It is noteworthy that the tenures of all the support staff—batting coach Vikram Rathour, bowling coach Paras Mhambrey, and fielding coach T Dilip—ended with Rahul Dravid’s tenure as head coach. However, with the BCCI’s reported plan to retain an all-Indian support staff, Dilip might continue as the fielding coach.
Gambhir takes on the role of head coach of a formidable India men’s team that recently won the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 and finished as runners-up in the 2023 ODI World Cup and World Test Championship. His tenure extends until 2027, presenting him with numerous challenges.
One of Gambhir’s initial challenges will be to establish his footing and build camaraderie in a dressing room with players he previously played alongside, such as Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.
Gambhir’s path to becoming head coach involved mentoring roles in the IPL, despite lacking substantial prior coaching experience. This was also the case for Ravi Shastri and Anil Kumble when they were appointed head coach of the Indian team.
Under Gambhir’s mentorship, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) reached the playoffs in consecutive seasons. He then moved to mentor Kolkata Knight Riders, the team he led to two IPL titles, and guided them to victory in May.
