 "Gautam Gambhir's first reaction after being named India head coach: 'India is my identity'")
Gautam Gambhir on Tuesday said his goal as Team India’s new head coach will be to make “every Indian proud” and help the team make the dreams of people “come true”. The former India opener was appointed as the Indian men’s cricket team’s new head coach on Tuesday, replacing Rahul Dravid.
“India is my identity and serving my country has been the greatest privilege of my life. I’m honoured to be back, albeit wearing a different hat,” Gambhir wrote on X. “But my goal is the same as it has always been, to make every Indian proud. The men in blue shoulder the dreams of 1.4 billion Indians and I will do everything in my power to make these dreams come true!”
India is my identity and serving my country has been the greatest privilege of my life. I’m honoured to be back, albeit wearing a different hat. But my goal is the same as it has always been, to make every Indian proud. The men in blue shoulder the dreams of 1.4 billion Indians… pic.twitter.com/N5YyyrhXAI
— Gautam Gambhir (@GautamGambhir) July 9, 2024
In BCCI’s official statement regarding his appointment, Gambhir congratulated outgoing coach Dravid for helping India win the 2024 T20 World Cup and added that he looks forward to “working closely” with all the stakeholders to achieve success in upcoming tournaments.
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More Shorts“It is an absolute honour to serve my tricolour, my people, my country. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Rahul Dravid and his team of support staff for their exemplary run with the team. I am honoured and excited to take on the role of Head Coach for Team India,” Gambhir said via a BCCI press release.
“I have always taken pride while donning the Indian jersey during my playing days and it is going to be no different when I take up this new role. Cricket has been my passion and I look forward to working closely with the BCCI, Head of Cricket – Mr VVS Laxman, the support staff, and, most importantly, the players, as we work towards achieving success in the upcoming tournaments,” added the 42-year-old in the release.
Gambhir was the mentor of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season and played a pivotal role in guiding the Shreyas Iyer-led outfit to the title. This was KKR’s third IPL title and the first since 2014.
As a player, Gambhir has enjoyed immense success in international cricket. The Delhi cricketer was part of the Indian team that clinched the 2011 ODI World Cup title and even scored a match-winning 97 in the final against Sri Lanka at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Gambhir’s first assignment as India head coach will be the Men in Blue’s limited-overs tour of Sri Lanka, where they will play three T20Is and as many ODIs. The tour will start with the first T20I on 27 July.
His contract as Team India head coach will run till 31 December, 2027, with the next ODI World Cup to be played in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia earlier that year.
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