Gautam Gambhir has been named the new head coach of the Indian cricket team after Rahul Dravid’s term ended following India’s victory in the T20 World Cup 2024. Gambhir had been the leading candidate to replace Dravid for a while, and his first task as head coach will be the T20I and ODI series against Sri Lanka.
This appointment also means that Kolkata Knight Riders, who won the IPL 2024 under Gambhir’s mentorship, will lose him as their mentor. There are reports suggesting that assistant coach Abhishek Nayar might join Gambhir on the Indian team’s coaching staff, prompting KKR to consider changes to their coaching team for the 2025 season.
Although Dravid was rumored to be a potential choice, it is reported that KKR might be considering the legendary South African cricketer Jacques Kallis for the role.
Kallis played for KKR during his career and as a player, he won the IPL championship in 2012 and 2014 with Gambhir as the captain. Kallis also worked as a batting consultant for KKR in the 2015 season and became the head coach after Trevor Bayliss left to become the England head coach.
Kallis was the head coach of KKR for four IPL seasons until 2019 when he left his position to become the batting consultant for the South Africa cricket team.
Gambhir has become the head coach of the Indian cricket team, which means Kallis might return to coach Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). A report in The Telegraph mentioned that people are talking about Kallis right now.
“KKR is also looking for someone to replace Gambhir, who helped them win their third IPL title this year. People are also talking about Jacques Kallis, the famous South African player who coached KKR in 2019,” the report said.
