NEW DELHI: On Tuesday, Gautam Gambhir, the former opener who had been widely anticipated to take over as head coach of the Indian cricket team, officially took over from Rahul Dravid. Additionally, Gambhir will go with the team to Sri Lanka later this month for a white-ball tour, according to a statement released by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Gambhir’s name was unanimously endorsed for the head coach position by the BCCI Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC), which is made up of Ashok Malhotra, Jatin Paranjape, and Sulakshana Naik.
Gambhir was the only one who showed up for the interview, along with former Indian batter WV Raman. The 42-year-old is the youngest Indian head coach ever to be appointed.
The BCCI reportedly did not consult star batsman Virat Kohli prior to Gambhir’s appointment being public knowledge, according to the Hindustan Times.
Nobody knows the details of Kohli and Gambhir’s abrasive on-field friendship. A nasty altercation broke out between them during an IPL 2023 match in Lucknow.
Even though the two gave each other numerous embraces during the 2024 Indian Premier League, the BCCI decided not to consult Kohli because he is no longer a member of the T20I team.
“There is enough time for the two to have conversations over the table. But it was important for the BCCI to look at the big picture with many youngsters likely to feature in the coming years,” a BCCI official told Hindustan Times.
Following the T20 World Cup, India captain Rohit Sharma and skipper Virat Kohli both declared their retirement from T20Is.
The report further stated that the BCCI kept star all-rounder Hardik Pandya informed of Gambhir’s appointment. Pandya is currently dominating the competition to become India’s next T20I captain.
The dynamic between India captain Rohit Sharma and cricketer Virat Kohli will be intriguing to watch, though, particularly after the former confronted Dravid about wanting to stay on as head coach.
Additionally, according to reports, both Rohit and Kohli have requested extended leaves from the BCCI. As a result, it is possible that both players will miss Gambhir’s first series as head coach against Sri Lanka.
As many ODIs and three T20Is will be played between India and Sri Lanka beginning on July 28.
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