Gautam Gambhir’s highly anticipated role as the head coach of the Indian cricket team was confirmed on Tuesday. He will take over from Rahul Dravid in this leading position. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) also confirmed that Gambhir will be with the team for their upcoming series in Sri Lanka later this month. The BCCI’s Cricket Advisory Committee, which includes Ashok Malhotra, Jatin Paranjape, and Sulakshana Naik, all agreed on recommending Gambhir for the head coach position.
Gambhir and former Indian cricketer WV Raman were the only candidates to attend the interview. At 42, Gambhir is the youngest person ever appointed as the head coach of the Indian cricket team.
Hindustan Times reports that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) did not consult star player Virat Kohli before announcing Gambhir’s appointment.
Kohli and Gambhir have a well-known competitive relationship on the field. They had a notable disagreement during an IPL 2023 game in Lucknow.
During the IPL 2024, Kohli and Rohit Sharma hugged each other several times, but the BCCI didn’t ask Kohli for his thoughts because he is not part of the T20 team anymore.
“There’s plenty of time for Kohli and Rohit to talk things over. But the BCCI needed to focus on the future, with many young players expected to play in the coming years,” a BCCI official said to Hindustan Times.
Both Kohli and Rohit, who lead the Indian team, said they will not play T20 matches anymore after the T20 World Cup.
The report mentioned that versatile player Hardik Pandya, who is a top contender for the next T20 captain of India, was informed by the BCCI about Gambhir’s new role.
It will be intriguing to observe how Indian captain Rohit Sharma interacts with Gambhir, particularly since Rohit expressed his preference for Dravid to remain as the head coach.
