Gautam Gambhir approached by BCCI for Head Coach role
Once Rahul Dravid‘s tenure as India’s head coach comes to an end at the end of the 2024 T20 World Cup in June, former Indian opener Gautam Gambhir is BCCI’s top choice for the role.
Although the 42-year-old Gambhir has never coached at the domestic or international levels, he has managed the coaching staffs of two IPL teams. He served as the coach of the Lucknow Super Giants in the 2022 and 2023 Indian Premier League, where they made it to the playoffs both years.
Gambhir then joined the Kolkata Knight Riders for the 2024 season, where they will finish at the top of points table in the league stage. It was surprising to see Gambhir join KKR for the 2024 Indian Premier League, but Shah Rukh Khan, the team’s principal owner, reportedly convinced him to take on the role of mentor.
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Gambhir has great credentials as a player also
As a player, Gambhir has led India to two world cup victories: 2011 ODI World Cup and the 2007 T20 World Cup. From 2011 to 2017, he led KKR for seven IPL seasons. Under his leadership, the team won two trophies in 2012 and 2014 and made it to the playoffs five times. In 2014, they also advanced to the defunct Champions League T20 final.
The BCCI posted an advertisement for the role of head coach for the India men’s team last week. According to the BCCI, the position would be available for all three formats for a period of three and a half years, beginning in July 2024 and ending in December 2027.
Dravid had begun his two-year term as India’s head coach after the 2021 T20 World Cup. His stint was supposed to end after the 2023 ODI World Cup in November last year, but he agreed to an extension until the end of the 2024 T20 World Cup, which will be played in West Indies and the USA in June.
