KKR reacted to Gautam Gambhir’s appointment as India head coach |Courtesy-BCCI
KEY HIGHLIGHTS
- Gautam Gambhir was appointed Team India head coach
- Gambhir will replace Rahul Dravid
- Gambhir will leave his job as KKR mentor
Indian cricket’s biggest secret was finally confirmed on Tuesday (July 9), as Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) mentor Gautam Gambhir was confirmed as the new head coach of the Indian cricket team and will replace Rahul Dravid in the top job.
Gambhir was seen as a leading contender to take up the Indian job following his incredible work at KKR, where he helped them win the IPL title after a decade in his first season as mentor of the franchise. Gambhir has previously also worked as the mentor of the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in 2022 and 2023, which was his first experience on the coaching staff of a team.
Gambhir’s appointment as the head coach of the Indian team means that he will have to leave his role as KKR mentor just one season after his return to the franchise. While word from the owners, including Shah Rukh Khan, is still awaited on the development, the franchise put up a special post on social media.
With a poster, KKR wrote a one-line caption, which went viral on social media. “𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰 𝘣𝘪𝘨𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘤𝘰𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘮,” wrote the three-time IPL champions in a post on X (formerly Twitter)
Gambhir holds a special association with KKR, having played and captained them for seven seasons, in which he led them to their first two titles in 2012 and 2014.
Gambhir’s tenure as Team India head coach will start with a three-match ODI and T20I series against Sri Lanka, which is set to start on July 27.
Gambhir’s first assignment as the Test team head coach will be against Bangladesh on September 19, while his first ICC tournament will be the 2025 Champions Trophy.
Gambhir is expected to be India head coach until December 31, 2027, which means he will take charge of the Indian team in the 2027 Cricket World Cup too.
