Mumbai: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has appointed former opener and 2011 ODI World Cup-winner Gautam Gambhir as the new head coach of the senior men's team.
The former India batter will take charge from the upcoming away series against Sri Lanka where Team India is set to play three ODIs and three T20Is, starting July 27.
"The Cricket Advisory Committee comprising Ashok Malhotra, Jatin Paranjpe, and Sulakshana Naik unanimously recommended Gautam Gambhir as the Head Coach of Team India (Senior Men)," the BCCI informed in a release.
The BCCI Secretary Jay Shah said that “it’s with immense pleasure that I welcome @GautamGambhir as the new Head Coach of the Indian Cricket Team. Modern-day cricket has evolved rapidly, and Gautam has witnessed this changing landscape up close”.
Shah sent a farewell message to former India Head Coach Rahul Dravid, thanking the former India captain for a highly successful tenure with the Men in Blue, which included guiding the Rohit Sharma-led team to victory in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 in Barbados.
Gambhir, who was part of the 2011 ODI World Cup-winning team, was till recently the mentor of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and had appeared for the interviews for the head coach's post along with another former India opener WV Raman.
The former left-handed opener helped KKR lift the trophy in 2024 for the third time and heavily impressed everyone with his leadership skills.
Earlier, he had captained KKR to two IPL titles in 2012 and 2014. A former Member of Parliament from Delhi, Gambhir was the Team Mentor of the Lucknow Super Giants before taking over the same responsibility at KKR.
"His remarkable contributions to the Indian team include crucial performances in the 2007 ICC World T20 and the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup, which have cemented his legacy as one of the sport's greats. Gambhir also led his IPL franchise, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to two title victories in 2012 and 2014. In his role as a Mentor with KKR in 2024, Gambhir helped the team secure its third IPL title," the BCCI said in its statement.
