Gautam Gambhir makes it to history books after appointment as India head coach

Gautam Gambhir has replaced Rahul Dravid as the next head coach of the Indian cricket team. He will start his tenure with India's tour to Sri Lanka later this year.

Meanwhile, Rahul Dravid's tenure came to an end with a T20 World Cup win on the last day in his role. After failing to win World Cups as a player and a captain, Dravid finally had his hands on them as a coach.

The BCCI confirmed Gautam Gambhir's appointment on Tuesday with an official statement saying " The BCCI welcomes Gautam Gambhir in his role with Team India. The former Indian opener brings with him a wealth of experience and a deep understanding of the game. Known for his exceptional batting prowess and strategic acumen, Gambhir has been a pivotal figure in Indian cricket".

Meanwhile, Gambhir made a unique achievement as coach of the Indian team. Gautam Gambhir became the first coach in the World Cup to win World Cups in different formats. He won the T20 World Cup in 2007 and The ODI World Cup in 2011 under MS DHoni's captaincy.

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Gambhir had a big role to play in those wins. He scored 75 in the T20 World Cup final and 97 in the ODI World Cup final. Earlier this year, Gambhir mentored the Kolkata Knight Riders to their third IPL title. The way the team played under him made the management take notice and go behind him for the India role.

Gambhir will be coaching the likes of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma alongside who he has played a large part of his career. The trio working together will be a sight to behold for the Indian fans.

Meanwhile, Gautam Gambhir gave his first reaction after becoming the head coach of the Indian cricket team. He gave an official statement to BCCI after his appointment.

“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" said Gautam Gambhir.

"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" he further added.

India recently became the T20 World Cup champions for the second time under Rahul Dravid. Gambhir starts his tenure with the tour to Sri Lanka later this month. He will be coaching India in a few ICC events for the next two years namely the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, T20 World Cup 2026 and the ICC ODI World Cup in 2027.

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